Rugby

Arno Tuts

Rugby

04-05/11

Hours: 20

1.                  In this activity I played in the ISK rugby team. I played as the team first Hooker and I was the vice-captain of the team. I was very unlucky to get injured in my knee at the beginning of our second game and this kept me out for the rest of the season. I needed surgery on the knee so I was unable to play any more games. However I did join some of the practices after my injury to support the team and to give them advice since I was one of the more experienced players. Our team this year was very young so they needed inspiration to play well. I also watched some of our later games to provide some support. I interacted with my teammates and with our coaches, Nixon and Finn. They all motivated me to play harder and better and they inspired me to be a leader.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning more about playing rugby and about various rugby techniques and skills. I also wanted to gain more experience as a rugby player and as a leader. As a leader I hoped to inspire the younger players and motivate them to play better.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to learn new rugby skills as well as develop my rugby techniques. I was also able to improve on my weaknesses from the previous season of rugby. I was also successful at gaining more experience as a rugby player and a leader because of my role as vice-captain. The other players looked up to me and this gave me the determination to perform well. It was difficult to accept that I was out for the season once I injured my knee but the team game me good support and I was able to lead from the sideline. Some skills in rugby were more challenging than others but I was able to acquire them through practice. I hope to improve even more on my rugby skills next season.

4.                  I learned that I am a good leader and that I lead through example. The pressure of motivating others helps me greatly by increasing my determination to succeed and play well. I am good at leading others in a game and motivating them to play even when their moral is down. My role as a vice-captain gave me a lot of experience and I hope that I will get more of such roles in the future. Therefore I hope that I can be captain in the Varsity football team as well as the rugby team.

5.                  My teammates helped me by motivating me to put all my effort into the team and the coaches encouraged me to lead the team. Other leading players also encouraged me by giving me support in the leading role and this made it easier to accomplish.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving the rugby players more experience in rugby. It gave the younger rugby players the necessary will to continue playing rugby and to put in all their effort. It also gave everyone competitive game experience and the coaches got more coaching experience.

Coaching Girls Keepers

Arno Tuts

Coaching Girls Keepers

01-03/11

Hours: 7

1.                  In this activity I helped coach the Varsity girls. I specifically acted as the Goalkeeper coach. Mr. Hertz, the coach, trained the whole team in all positions while I took the three goalkeepers aside to teach them the basic and some of the more advanced keeper techniques. I did this activity because I have been the first Varsity boys goalkeeper for three years so I have gotten a lot of experience. I also realized from my own experience that goalkeepers do not get much attention in the football teams because there is only one coach. I therefore wanted to give the goalkeepers more attention so that they can also improve. I interacted with the goalkeepers and taught them what I knew of goalkeeping. In return they helped me develop my teaching skills. This then helped me gain more experience as a goalkeeper myself. I also interacted with the coach and the rest of the girls on the team. One of the training sessions I joined the girls in a few of their drills to give them an extra challenge.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning more about being a goalkeeper and a coach. I wanted to develop my experience and skill as a goalkeeper by coaching others.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to learn more about understanding more complicated keeper techniques by trying to explain them to the girl goalkeepers. This coaching also helped because I was able to develop my leadership skills. It was sometimes difficult to explain certain aspects of goalkeeping but I was able to teach by example and this helped a great deal.

4.                  I learned that I am pretty good at coaching goalkeepers. I have done the same for under-12 goalkeepers at Sags Soccer Academy and I have learnt many techniques of making teaching easier and making goalkeepers skills easier to understand for other people. I also learnt that this experience really helps improve my own skills as a goalkeeper.

5.                  The girl goalkeepers helped me learn more about coaching by being patient and by listening very careful. They also were willing to try what I asked them to do. The coach also helped me by giving me the chance to coach the goalkeeper girls and by helping me when I needed help. He also let me use all the materials I wanted. Alberto also helped me several times by shooting the ball at the girls and by picking up balls that had been kicked away.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving the goalkeeper girls some extra help and attention so that they could improve on their goalkeeper skills and also on their overall skills as a footballer. I also gave them a sense of importance which is important for a goalkeeper.

Jazz Band Moroccan Dinner Silent Auction

Arno Tuts

Jazz Band Moroccan Dinner Silent Auction

15/04/11

Hours: 3

1.                  In this activity I played the Alto Saxophone in the Jazz Band for the Moroccan Dinner and Silent Auction. We played many of our best songs and played for the people as background music. There were many ambassadors and other diplomats who came to the Silent Auction to raise money for the wife group that used the money to fund several projects in Kenya. We also played a few songs that the South Africa band played so many of us had to sight read the music. We got dinner there so we were able to take a short break during our playing. We interacted with each other in the band and we also interacted with a few of the guests. We played for them while they enjoyed the music.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish playing music for a good cause. We wanted to create a pleasant atmosphere during the night so that the guests felt comfortable and were willing to participate actively in the silent auction. I also hoped to gain extra experience as an Alto Saxophonist and as a sight-reader.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to play in the Jazz Band for a good cause and for important people. I also believe that we created a pleasant atmosphere for the guests that allowed them to enjoy the night. My experience increased and I was able to develop my sight-reading skills. We sometimes had some difficulties with the transformers but we managed to adjust and fix them. It was also challenging to play some parts of the sight-reading pieces but I was able to cope with them and quickly master them.

4.                  I learned that my sight-reading skills are very good and that I can quickly learn a piece that I have not yet seen before. I am able to follow the music at the right speed and I am also able to play the rhythms correctly while playing the correct notes. My experience as a saxophonist is clearly growing and I am gradually able to play pieces that are above my level.

5.                  My peers in the band helped me sight read at a quicker and higher level and the saxophonists that had already played the sight-reading songs before gave me good advice on how to play the pieces correctly. Mr. Ligon, the director, also helped us enjoy playing our music and helped us realize the significance of music as a background during such events as dinners and silent auctions.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving the diplomats background music to create a pleasant and comforting atmosphere. Some diplomats also observed us so they could learn from our playing and possible get inspired to learn to play an instrument themselves if they did not already play one. This event was organized for a good cause so this activity helped fund several charity projects in Kenya.

Ski Trip

Arno Tuts

Ski Trip

18-26/03/11

Hours: 50

1.                  In this activity I went to Switzerland on the Ski Trip. There I learned how to snowboard. It was the first time I had ever snowboarded and I really enjoyed it. We started on the baby slopes and learned the basic techniques. By the third day we were on the main slopes and we were learning simple tricks and getting more and more experience. Every time we went down the slopes we went faster and we did harder slopes. By the end of the week we were on the black slopes and I was speeding down these slopes. We snowboarded for most of the day and then did different activities in the evenings such as ice skating and swimming. For the remainder of the time we relaxed at the dorms or went to Verbier village to shop and enjoy the local atmosphere.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning how to snowboard to a good level and I also hoped to feel comfortable on the snow slopes. I wanted to be able to master all the basic snowboarding skills and learn some new tricks that I could test out. Another goal was to not fall too much. I also wanted to enjoy the village and Switzerland itself.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to learn how to snowboard to a high level. By the end of the week I was very comfortable on the snowboard and I could go down steep slopes at a fast pace. I had also mastered all the basic skills and I was able to do simple tricks. I also was very successful at achieving my goal to not fall much. I hardly ever fell hard and I did not get any sore places as was expected from us beginners by all the leaders and teachers. The town was also very fun and we were able to experience Verbier to its fullest. We shopped a bit and drank the famous hot chocolate. Some difficulties I encountered were that some people in my group were slower at learning that I was and therefore I was unable to make the very most of my learning. However our leader, Kevin, was very good so I was able to improve on specific things that he said on my own. Some techniques were also a bit challenging but after practicing them a few times I was able to grasp these techniques and I was therefore able to snowboard better.

4.                  I learned that I was a very fast learner and that I am good at snowboarding. I was able to learn the skills of snowboarding very quickly and this allowed me to gain a lot of good experience. This will be a great advantage for me in the future if I decide to snowboard again. I also learned that I really enjoyed snowboarding and therefore I would really like to do it again if I can. It was a great and very fun experience.

5.                  My peers helped me improve my skills even more by challenging me and Kevin helped me learn very well. I was able to master the basic skills very quickly because of the good explanation skills that Kevin had. When I asked Kevin what I specifically needed to improve on he would tell me what I needed to do to make my technique better. My peers also ensured that I enjoyed Verbier and had fun even when I was off the slopes.

6.                  This activity helped others by teaching them how to snowboard or ski at a higher level. It also helped the ski and snowboard leaders gain more experience as leaders. Therefore everyone gained experience and everyone had a lot of fun. This activity also helped the younger students because they were able to look up to the older students as inspiration. Therefore everyone improved together.

Jazz Band Mardi Gras

Arno Tuts

Jazz Band Mardi Gras

4/03/11

Hours: 2

1.                  In this activity I played Alto Saxophone in the Jazz Band for the Mardi Gras dinner at Rosslyn Ridge. We played several fun carnival jazz songs for the small group of guests that were there to eat a buffet. We all put on facemasks and played for about an hour. We interacted with some of the diners who were listening but we mainly interacted with each other.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish gaining more experience on the Alto Saxophone and to gain more concert experience. I also hoped to entertain the diners.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to gain some extra playing and concert experience on the Alto Saxophone and I think we were successful at entertaining the guests. However there were not many guests during the time we were playing. This made it a bit less interesting to play but we continued as planned and left when we were done.

4.                  I learned that I am able to play many songs comfortably with not much practice because some of the songs we only got right before the Mardi Gras concert. This helped me realize that I have already got good experience with my Alto Saxophone.

5.                  My peers in Jazz Band helped me play with more comfort and my director, Mr. Ligon, helped us all realize that we were there to have fun playing and that it was a good opportunity to improve on our playing as a band.

6.                  This activity helped the band gain experience and it helped the band realize what we had to work on as a band. It also gave the diners at the Mardi Gras dinner a background music to listen to.

Goals to Go

Arno Tuts

Goals to Go

5/02/11

Hours: 7

1.                  In this activity I played football in the Goals to Go tournament with a team of five others. Goals to Go is organized yearly as a fundraiser for the Lady Lusha school. My team played very well and we ended up winning the tournament. Since several players had to leave early, some other players joined our team to retain the right number of players. I also had to play with other teams who themselves had lost some players. It was a long tiring day but it was a lot of fun. It was also interesting to play against teams with girls in them and against teams with younger players in them. This makes the tournament so special because of the diversity of football skill. Some students from the Lady Lusha school joined the tournament as well and played in sever teams. We also gained one of their players in our team. I interacted with the other players in the tournament by playing against them and talking to them during the breaks. I also interacted with the Lady Lusha students and learnt a bit more about them as they did with us.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish playing some competitive but diverse football and to have a fun day out on the pitch. I also wanted to gain some extra experience as an outfield player because during the football season I am the goalkeeper in all the competitive matches. I also wanted to inspire younger players to play good football because I had a strong experienced team myself.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to play competitive football but it was very diverse with many different skill levels involved in the different matches. This was very interesting and made the day very fun. I also gained extra experience as an outfield player in all positions. I think my team was also successful in inspiring other players because we played good football against younger teams and they played very good competitive football against us. It was entertaining to see their determination and desire to play good football and this was great. Some difficulties during the tournament were that some teams were harder to play against but this challenge was good for my team and it made the match all that more fun. We also had some player problems when some had to leave the tournament early but we were able to overcome this by getting other players to join our team.

4.                  I further developed my sportsmanship skills. I was able to play fair against the younger players and the girls but still make it challenging for them. This makes it more interesting and fun for them. I realized that we could not play too aggressive against certain teams and my team adapted to the variety of skills. I also have a lot of energy because I was able to play for different teams with not many breaks to get a rest.

5.                  My teammates helped me adapt to the different player skills and age groups of other teams and they helped me think more about my sportsmanship skills. This helped me improve these skills so that I enjoyed myself as well as our opponents.

6.                  This activity helped others by raising money for the Lady Lusha school. It also helped the football players improve their skills and experience. It gave the younger players a chance to play against older, more experienced, and more skilled players. This challenge is always the best way to improve one’s skills. It was great to see the younger players enjoy themselves on the field and express their determination to challenge the more experienced players. It was also entertaining to see them show off their skills.

Playground Building

Arno Tuts

Playground Building

27/01/11

Hours: 4

1.                  In this activity I helped build a playground for a local school in Marich. With money we raised, metal workers at ISK built a swing and monkey bar set for us and we brought these with us on the bus. When we got to the school we had to dig eight holes to place the playground set into. I drove the wheelbarrows full of large rocks from a pile of rocks outside the school to the designated playground area. We used these rocks to fill the holes once the playground had been placed inside. We then mixed cement and gravel to cover up the holes and fasten the playground to the ground. As a final piece of work we poured some water over the gravel. I interacted with the children of the school by playing small games with them. It was great to see their faces lighten up as they saw us build the playground.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish making the children of the school happy. I wanted to give them something that was new to them so that they could have fun. I also wanted to witness the joy and curiosity on the faces of the children.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to make the children happy and it was a special feeling to see the children’s faces glow with their joy and curiosity. It always feels nice to do something meaningful. It was sometimes hard to transport the wheelbarrows because of the several problems they had. With one of the wheelbarrows the wheel was crooked and with the other one the handles were half broken. Therefore I had to carry the wheelbarrow from one side of the wheelbarrow. This made the load more difficult to transport but it was manageable. We also had trouble with the straightness of the playground a few times but we overcame this problem by adding or taking away a few stones.

4.                  I learned that I am good at doing manual work and that my strength gives me many advantages when building something. I have also developed my skills with cement and gravel mixing and I am well informed on how to fasten objects to the ground.

5.                  My peers helped me think about my learning during this activity by sharing my interest and curiosity in the children’s happiness. This way I was able to fully appreciate the work I was doing and therefore also enjoy it.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving the children of the school a new playground to add variety to their play during their free time. We also gave them something to be excited about. The children now have more to do when they have free time. This also makes it easier for the local teachers.

Bridge Building

Arno Tuts

Bridge Building

26/01/11

Hours: 6

1.                  In this activity I helped build a bridge in Marich. The Friends of Marich group raised money by organizing a golf tournament and this money was then used to fund the materials for our bridge. Together with Bridging the Gap we built a bridge in a community near Marich. Bridging the Gap provided the necessary materials for the bridge with the funds we raised. With these materials, Friends of Marich built the bridge for two days. I helped build the bridge on the second day. We had to build the walkway and then hang it on the steel cables that were stretched across the river. I helped nail boards on the walkway, spread wire across the sides of the bridge, and tighten the steel cables. I interacted with my peers who helped me build the bridge. I also interacted with the workers who helped us build the bridge and who guided us through the necessary steps to successfully build the bridge. We also interacted with several school groups and elders who came to the opening ceremony. It was great to see the gratitude on the faces of the community for who we were building the bridge.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning more about building bridges. I wanted to understand the mechanics behind bridge walkways. I also hoped to build something that really meant something to the community. I wanted to make the community happy and see their gratitude.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I learned how to build a bridge and I was successful at building something that the community really needed. The gratitude of the community was visible during the opening ceremony and it was great to be a part of such a project. Some of the difficulties we encountered were nailing the boards. We struggled to hit the weak nails into the hard boards. However after a bit of practice we managed to master the hammering technique and we were able to successfully accomplish our job.

4.                  I learned that hammering can be a real challenge. There is a specific technique needed that is very difficult to master. However I was able to competently accomplish my job. I also developed my appreciation of working for others who are in need. It is always a relief to see thankful smiles.

5.                  My peers helped me learn the hammering technique and helped me build the bridge at a descent pace. Together we managed to finish the bridge on time. The speeches of the community leaders really helped me realize the meaning this bridge had for the community. This helped me realize that small things can mean a lot to the right people.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving the local community a bridge for them to safely cross the river. This bridge will be highly significant for the local people during the rainy seasons when the river floods. These flooded waters are very dangerous and very risky to cross without a bridge. The bridge we built is very durable so it will last very long if it is properly maintained. This bridge will be much better than the seasonal bridges that were previously built. These previous bridges were washed away during each rainy season.

Hike up Cole Mountain

Arno Tuts

Raffle Organizing

11/10

Hours: 10

1.                  In this activity I helped organize the raffle tickets for raising money for the Friends of Marich group of which I am now Co-Fundraising Chair. I helped sell over 200 raffle tickets as well as gain extra donated money from people in Belgium. The raffle tickets were then picked and prizes were given to the winners of the raffle. We were able to raise a great amount of money to help fund the bridge we then built in Marich as well as to fund the food and playground that we gave to two local schools in Marich. I interacted with the donators of the money by explaining about our projects in Marich and by convincing them of the need for the money.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning more about useful fundraising opportunities. I hoped to learn some new techniques to increase the amount of money fundraised so that I can make the most out of the fundraising. This allows me to accomplish more in the project that I have fundraised for. I also hoped to accomplish fundraising enough money to accomplish our goals in Marich.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able raise more money than was originally assigned to me with the amount of raffle tickets I had. I was able to sell all my raffle tickets and raise extra fund money from donations. I also managed to find effective ways to convince donators of the need for the donations. Some difficulties I encountered were dividing the raffles equally among the various donators by I easily solved this by dividing the raffles according to the amount of the donation made. It was also challenging at times to receive the money from Belgium but I was able to receive the money through my parents.

4.                  I learned that I am good at writing persuasive letters that convince people to donate to the project I am involved in. I did this by explaining what we had done in previous years at Marich and what our project would do for the local people in Marich. I also learned that people will donate quicker to a project that they can know for sure will be effective. For this reason I believe projects that need donations should spend more time at proving that the donations will be properly used. This will bring up more much more money since people will trust that their money will go to good use.

5.                  Peers and teachers involved in the Friends of Marich group helped raise money for our project. The people in Belgium helped by donating and their interest helped me realize the true value people have in doing good things that truly help people in need in a supportive way. This project helped me understand that it is always better to raise money to buy materials to bring to people in need rather than give them the money straight up. This guarantees that the money is used correctly.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving people the opportunity to donate money to a good cause. It also helped the local people of Marich because the money raised by this raffle was used to fund food and a playground for two local schools and a bridge for an entire community in Marich.

Raffle Organizing

Arno Tuts

Raffle Organizing

11/10

Hours: 10

1.                  In this activity I helped organize the raffle tickets for raising money for the Friends of Marich group of which I am now Co-Fundraising Chair. I helped sell over 200 raffle tickets as well as gain extra donated money from people in Belgium. The raffle tickets were then picked and prizes were given to the winners of the raffle. We were able to raise a great amount of money to help fund the bridge we then built in Marich as well as to fund the food and playground that we gave to two local schools in Marich. I interacted with the donators of the money by explaining about our projects in Marich and by convincing them of the need for the money.

2.                  During this activity I hoped to accomplish learning more about useful fundraising opportunities. I hoped to learn some new techniques to increase the amount of money fundraised so that I can make the most out of the fundraising. This allows me to accomplish more in the project that I have fundraised for. I also hoped to accomplish fundraising enough money to accomplish our goals in Marich.

3.                  I believe that I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able raise more money than was originally assigned to me with the amount of raffle tickets I had. I was able to sell all my raffle tickets and raise extra fund money from donations. I also managed to find effective ways to convince donators of the need for the donations. Some difficulties I encountered were dividing the raffles equally among the various donators by I easily solved this by dividing the raffles according to the amount of the donation made. It was also challenging at times to receive the money from Belgium but I was able to receive the money through my parents.

4.                  I learned that I am good at writing persuasive letters that convince people to donate to the project I am involved in. I did this by explaining what we had done in previous years at Marich and what our project would do for the local people in Marich. I also learned that people will donate quicker to a project that they can know for sure will be effective. For this reason I believe projects that need donations should spend more time at proving that the donations will be properly used. This will bring up more much more money since people will trust that their money will go to good use.

5.                  Peers and teachers involved in the Friends of Marich group helped raise money for our project. The people in Belgium helped by donating and their interest helped me realize the true value people have in doing good things that truly help people in need in a supportive way. This project helped me understand that it is always better to raise money to buy materials to bring to people in need rather than give them the money straight up. This guarantees that the money is used correctly.

6.                  This activity helped others by giving people the opportunity to donate money to a good cause. It also helped the local people of Marich because the money raised by this raffle was used to fund food and a playground for two local schools and a bridge for an entire community in Marich.