-
News Page
The 2024/25 Year in Review - IB Personal Project: Using research and critical thinking skills to explore passions
The Personal Project gives students in Grade 10, the final year of the IB Middle Years Program, an opportunity to independently explore an area of personal interest over a three-month period. The project assesses students’ self-management, research, communication, critical and creative thinking, and collaboration skills. Students are encouraged to choose multi-layered, multidisciplinary projects that have a purpose or value outside the school. They develop their own goals and criteria, must show evidence of a product or outcome, and write a report reflecting on what they’ve learned. While the students take ownership over their projects and make all the decisions, their teachers provide guidance and coaching. Their report is assessed by their supervisor and externally moderated by the IB to ensure a globally consistent standard of excellence.
Crafting a canoe paddle for adventures on the water
The seed for Will A.’s project was planted in the summer of 2024 when he got stuck using a worn out paddle during a canoe trip at camp. A year later, the paddle he dipped into the lake was one he’d made himself from a huge, solid block of wood. Will enjoys working with his hands to tackle complex projects – he’s taken apart a carburetor and put it back together, and built a LEGO motorcycle that has over 1900 pieces and a four-speed gearbox – but woodworking was a new direction for him.
The seed for Will A.’s project was planted in the summer of 2024 when he got stuck using a worn out paddle during a canoe trip at camp. A year later, the paddle he dipped into the lake was one he’d made himself from a huge, solid block of wood. Will enjoys working with his hands to tackle complex projects – he’s taken apart a carburetor and put it back together, and built a LEGO motorcycle that has over 1900 pieces and a four-speed gearbox – but woodworking was a new direction for him.
Will found a book that provided detailed, step-by-step instructions and design templates for making your own canoe paddle. A contractor friend gave him advice about the best wood and tools to use, and Will purchased a piece of mountain ash that measured 6’ x 10” x 10”. He was able to make the paddle at home using tools that his dad, Mark, owns. Mark showed him how to use the equipment and supervised him when he was using saws and other dangerous tools, but Will did all the woodworking himself. Will says the most challenging part of the project was “getting used to working in a 3D space, shaping the wood in different dimensions at the same time.” The project also required a great deal of discipline. Between October and March, Will spent approximately 100 hours working on the paddle. During the summer, he used an engraving tool to engrave his name on the paddle.
Developing an app for managing personal health information
When Avantika S.’ 27 wanted to ensure that her vaccinations were up-to-date, she spent two hours locating her paper immunization records and uploading them to Toronto Public Health’s website. It was a time consuming and tedious process that prompted her to envision a more efficient way of managing her health. “Globally we’ve digitized everything, so why is healthcare still on paper?”
Avantika observed that her family members were experiencing frustrations related to scheduling doctors’ appointments and renewing prescriptions. She also spoke with a family doctor and pharmacist who said they would welcome an electronic information system that connected them with patients. She decided to dedicate her personal project to working on a solution. After a great deal of research, she discovered a platform called Adalo that would enable her to develop a mobile app using drag and drop components. She used Adalo to create MediLine, an app that individuals could use to quickly and easily access their vaccination and prescription history, schedule an appointment with their family doctor, find the closest pharmacy, and receive reminders about upcoming medical appointments and when to take daily doses of medication. When she showed MediLine to the family doctor she chatted with earlier, he agreed that her app would help the health-care system run more smoothly and efficiently. He also identified the next challenge for Avantika to tackle: getting hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals in Ontario to modernize their systems and processes.
When Avantika S.’ 27 wanted to ensure that her vaccinations were up-to-date, she spent two hours locating her paper immunization records and uploading them to Toronto Public Health’s website. It was a time consuming and tedious process that prompted her to envision a more efficient way of managing her health. “Globally we’ve digitized everything, so why is healthcare still on paper?”
Avantika observed that her family members were experiencing frustrations related to scheduling doctors’ appointments and renewing prescriptions. She also spoke with a family doctor and pharmacist who said they would welcome an electronic information system that connected them with patients. She decided to dedicate her personal project to working on a solution. After a great deal of research, she discovered a platform called Adalo that would enable her to develop a mobile app using drag and drop components. She used Adalo to create MediLine, an app that individuals could use to quickly and easily access their vaccination and prescription history, schedule an appointment with their family doctor, find the closest pharmacy, and receive reminders about upcoming medical appointments and when to take daily doses of medication. When she showed MediLine to the family doctor she chatted with earlier, he agreed that her app would help the health-care system run more smoothly and efficiently. He also identified the next challenge for Avantika to tackle: getting hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals in Ontario to modernize their systems and processes.
Weaving personal experiences into a science fiction novel
“Synodic”, the science fiction novel that Mehrsa B. ‘27 is writing, tells the story of a group of kids who are relocated while investigating resources that were stolen from their homeland. “They don’t know why they were suddenly relocated. They have to fend for themselves. They have to learn another language, fight diseases and figure out how to get home. They just want to see their families again,” says Mehrsa.
The plot of the novel was partly inspired by Mehrsa’s life experience. When she was five years old, Mehrsa and her parents immigrated to Canada from Iran to escape the oppression and persecution that Persian girls and women experience. Mehrsa hasn’t had to fight diseases like her characters do, but she developed a cold when she arrived in Canada and her symptoms lasted three years. The fact that climate change is displacing many Indigenous people from their land also informed the plot. Some of the other themes Mehrsa included were tropes she’d enjoyed in the many “light novels” (short, illustrated novels for young adults) she read in Grade 8. Mehrsa wanted to challenge her readers so she created a new language and a series of codes that provide hints about a sequel she’s planning – if readers are clever enough to figure them out!
The plot of the novel was partly inspired by Mehrsa’s life experience. When she was five years old, Mehrsa and her parents immigrated to Canada from Iran to escape the oppression and persecution that Persian girls and women experience. Mehrsa hasn’t had to fight diseases like her characters do, but she developed a cold when she arrived in Canada and her symptoms lasted three years. The fact that climate change is displacing many Indigenous people from their land also informed the plot. Some of the other themes Mehrsa included were tropes she’d enjoyed in the many “light novels” (short, illustrated novels for young adults) she read in Grade 8. Mehrsa wanted to challenge her readers so she created a new language and a series of codes that provide hints about a sequel she’s planning – if readers are clever enough to figure them out!
Creating a beautifully illustrated book to teach children about endangered animals
Madi S. ‘27 has loved animals – and been concerned about those that are endangered - since she was very young. For her personal project, she combined her passion for protecting animals with her talent for watercolour painting to create a book to educate children about species that are at risk. In preparation for writing and illustrating her book, Madi conducted research to find out which animals are in the greatest danger and identify facts about each species that children would find compelling. Her next step was to learn more about children’s books so she could determine what vocabulary would be age appropriate (10-year-olds are her target audience), what format would work best and what size her illustrations should be. The finished product is a book that features gorgeous paintings of animals like monarch butterflies, a blue whale and a hawksbill sea turtle, and the reasons why we need to protect them.
Madi S. ‘27 has loved animals – and been concerned about those that are endangered - since she was very young. For her personal project, she combined her passion for protecting animals with her talent for watercolour painting to create a book to educate children about species that are at risk. In preparation for writing and illustrating her book, Madi conducted research to find out which animals are in the greatest danger and identify facts about each species that children would find compelling. Her next step was to learn more about children’s books so she could determine what vocabulary would be age appropriate (10-year-olds are her target audience), what format would work best and what size her illustrations should be. The finished product is a book that features gorgeous paintings of animals like monarch butterflies, a blue whale and a hawksbill sea turtle, and the reasons why we need to protect them.
Using AI-powered voice commands to drive cars
Chase W. ‘27 is envisioning a day when using voice commands to drive our cars is as common as asking Siri to play a song for us. For his project, he figured out how to leverage speech-to-text technology, computer code and AI to send messages that make a car’s motor move forward, backwards, etc. Chase used Chat GPT to create some of the code he needed and learned to use Arduino, an open source electronics platform, to send commands to the motor. Since this was a proof of concept, Chase didn’t build a car, but he did use four working motors.Chase embraced the challenge and the learning curve and spent entire weekends working on the project. He says finding errors in the code and dealing with wiring issues was time consuming. “I also learned a lot about the little nuances of creating something that hasn’t been made before. It's literally planning every little step. You can't just say, ‘Oh, this talks to this.’ You have to say, ‘Oh, this wire connects to this, which connects to this,’” says Chase.
Animating the story of an inspiring ancestor
Seren D.’s ‘27 personal project was inspired by a female ancestor who lived in China during the Qing dynasty, a time when noble women weren’t allowed to go to school or have jobs. With the support of her father, the girl disguised herself as a boy and was able to attend school for years without her true identity being discovered. Seren decided that creating an animated short film would be the most effective way to tell this cherished family story. Seren’s film, “Strive For Your Heart,” has delighted her relatives of all ages.
Seren D.’s ‘27 personal project was inspired by a female ancestor who lived in China during the Qing dynasty, a time when noble women weren’t allowed to go to school or have jobs. With the support of her father, the girl disguised herself as a boy and was able to attend school for years without her true identity being discovered. Seren decided that creating an animated short film would be the most effective way to tell this cherished family story. Seren’s film, “Strive For Your Heart,” has delighted her relatives of all ages.
Empowering travellers with firsthand experience and advice
Noah L.’s ‘27 project documented the exciting trips his parents have taken him and his brother on, allowing him to share firsthand travel experiences and advice with others. Noah built a website called “Noah’s World Travel Guide” that includes photos and information about landmarks he’s visited and activities he’s participated in, as well as blog posts and a contact form so people can send him questions.
