Running at Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya

As soon as the thermometer reached the 15°C signe, I took my running shoes and went to one of the most beautiful places in Moscow to drive from my extra energies. Unfortunately I had a lot, as I haven't done any kind of physical activities since my operation in the end of May, and even since before, when I couldn't move free because of the pain in my back. However after the operation my back still haven't healed fully, I felt like I have to do something and running seemed to be the most obvious and less harmful sport. 

Most of my friends think that I'm crazy because I'm running when it isn't told me, but to be honest I started to like it. 

The first thing which captured me is the place where I'm running, the Frunzenskaya Naberezhnaya, fallowing the path of the Moscow river, meeting two beautiful bridges, and looking at the Vorobyovy Gory on the other side of the river. During my run I like just watching the river, while I'm listening to some songs with great rhythm, and giving out the frustration of the IB life. It is really relaxing and healthy. I also have to say, amazing how well a person can sleep after some kilometres in her feet. The other think I like in running is that I cans stop any time I feel tired or my back is aching, and I don't have to adapt other people's wishes. 

During running, I have met the fallowing CAS requirements:

• undertaken new challenges, and
• showed perseverance and commitment in my activities (I'm running twice a week)

Weather Club Again

As the year 13 and year 11 students left the school, only us, the year 12 students are continuing the weather club. It means, that unlike before, when we had the read the measurements twice a month, now we have to do it every 10 days. In the first weeks it caused a deadlock between the Weather Club members, I'm really happy that Ilona and I took the measurements on each of our days. During making the readings, and when I read through the Weather Club Book because of my curiosity, I noticed, how the weather changed. At some points in the winter the minimum temperature was lower than -20°C, and now the maximum is sometimes around 30°C. That’s 50 degrees difference at least! Not talking about the change in precipitate In have noticed weeks in March with continuous raining, while now we haven't seen any drops for 6 days (actually when I started to write this sentence it started to rain outside...)Through the Weather Club I have met the following CAS requirements:

• worked collaboratively with others
• showed perseverance and commitment in my activities, and
• engaged with issue of global importance

The Istra Trip

Almost the whole of year 12 was required to spend 5 days outside Moscow in an environment more suitable for carrying out the practical work necessary for the group 4 of the IB course. The trip also provided the students with wonderful opportunities to achieve various CAS objectives.

  

The activities directly involving CAS started on the very first day, when everyone was required to create a map of the area where we were to live and work. The task was to be approached in groups and with the use of GPS navigators. As we were to find out, it also involved quite a lot of movement around the place, although not as much as during the preliminary task of looking for flags left for us to find around the area to get their coordinates. I was working with Ilona and Yoon Joo we won the little game.

Further challenges were different from everyone else's to the group of Physics students to which I belonged - we only had four people - Boris, Alex, Yoon Joo and myself. I had time to observe other groups working and I came to the conclusion that Physics tasks were indeed of the greatest interest to me. One of the interesting experiments was setting a fire without using the traditional tools for it, such as the matches or lighters. We had a few ideas of how to approach it, but lack of sunny weather and the wind killed most of the options immediately, which was a great disappointment. 

Other experiments involved measuring the distribution of temperature in soil, measuring spring characteristics of natural fibers, using pendulums to obtain values for gravitation of Earth, measuring the diffraction of water in the Istra Reservoir, investigating aspects of bouncing balls, constructing sundials and a classroom-based activity on Kepler's 3rd Law. Most of these involved high levels of cooperation and some - of physical exertion.

The trip was a highly interesting experience and it allowed to achieve the following CAS objectives

• developed new skills
• worked collaboratively with others
• undertaken nex challenges
• planned and indicated activities
• inreased my awareness of my own strength and the areas of growth

Bitsevsky Park

The system of state protected natural areas of Russia is more than a hundred years old and the first national park in the territory of Moscow, the Losiny Island, was established in 1983. Since that time 15 other Natural Parks have been created in the city, and one of them is the Bitsevsky Forest.

 The Bitsevsky Park is located in the south-western part of Moscow, approximately 15 minutes walk away from our school, and probably each of us knows it very well. numerous school activities were run in the park, including the running club and the garbage collecting day of the IB students. However, I think, most of us did not know much about the park’s natural resources or about its history.

This Thursday (19.05.2011) the year 12 students participated in a little guided walk in the Bitsevsky Forest. Our guide was Elena, a member of the “Friends of Bitsevsky Park” organisation. During the tour we learned a lot from her about nature of the Park and interesting facts about its history.

The Bitsevsky Park is a real forest where we can meet all types of trees characteristic of the ‘Near-Moscow Region’. The newest parts are filled with birches, which prepare the ground to other trees, elms, ash trees and finally for pines, which she called the last stage of a forest’s evolutional path. We also learned the levels of the forest. It starts with the adult trees at the top, continues with the teenage trees, bushes, grass and finally ends with the ground.

The Bitsevsky park, being a forest, has not just plants, but animals too. Walking in the forest, you can meet several types of frogs, rabbits, rats as well as squirrels, foxes, hairs, boars and numerous types of birds.

The history of the park is also notable. The three rivers in the park have old Russian names, suggesting that people lived in this are thousands of years ago. The forest was named from the river Bitza, which refers to an old battle. The Biggest river of the park is Chertanovka, which probably was a border between two local tribes. Its latest changes happened in 1942, when the Germans got around Moscow, which was surrounded by 3 protecting rings. The inner circle crossed some areas of the Park, where they cut down the trees and built trances. Fortunately the Germans were stopped at the second circle, and never got to the Bitsevsky Park, however, you can still recognise the trenches at some points of the Forest.

Unfortunately the Park faces with serious natural problems. Firs, there are not enough teenage trees under the dying birches, secondly, being a closed area, its animal population has very little biological diversity.

After the tour, the school donated 10,000 RUB for the organisation’s future projects, and year 12 students are planning to volunteer in the Park. I think everybody enjoyed the tour, as it was very interactive, and the weather was just perfect. We learned a lot about the forest, at the same time had great fun. While we were walking in the park, I

• worked collaboratively with others
• engaged with issues of global importance
• and developed new skilss