International Baccalaureate Program

Educating for Excellence

 

Rigor + Relevance + Relationships = Educational Excellence

East High School

Student Dan Moscaritolo ’07

CAS Activity Iraq Troop Support

Project Description:

DM: The idea for this project was sparked by a mother of a friend, whose husband was serving in Iraq. She told me that it would be a great idea for me to organize a “support our troops” care package project because the troops love receiving envoys from home. My family further encouraged the project.

I first sent e-mails to numerous corporations, family members and friends who agreed to publicize my project. I provided a list of suggested items to send abroad and gave the organizations a month to collect the items. I used my ping-pong table as a staging area to package such things as toiletries, candy, gum, used books, CDs, packaged lunches, canned energy drinks, juices, fans that spray water, and even little cards made by elementary kids. I sent approximately twenty packages to officers, corporals and privates in Iraq and Afghanistan. I received a letter from the government about a month later saying that they appreciated my support and that the soldiers loved the packages. I even received a letter from one of the officers I sent them to. Overall, it was a great project and it made me feel like I was doing something valuable to people who haven’t seen home in three years.

Before entering the DP, did you engage in other service activities?

DM: Prior to becoming an IB student, I will admit that I did not partake in many community services or activities. My family was always active in the community, but I was somewhat lazy when it came to that stuff. I think IB has made me realize that engaging with the community actually enhances my ability to interact and get along with many different people, and has helped me shape my perception of what being a valuable citizen actually is.

Has the DP changed your perspective about community service?

DM: Entering the DP program has taught me that there are many things a person can do to improve the community and in doing so, one can have a little fun as well.

Is it hard to juggle academic work along with the service projects?

DM: Balancing work with service hours is by far the most challenging aspect of the Diploma Program. Whenever I have no schoolwork, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities for community service. It is somewhat challenging to find service opportunities and it’s easy to forget about it while doing the copious amounts of schoolwork. I’ve found it best to spread it out and set things in motion early so that when the time comes, you can engage in the activity, and it fits in nicely with the work schedule. This is definitely a tough aspect of IB, but it is probably the most beneficial.

CAS in Action