Projecting page to screen, the storied quotes that had informed days of class discussion were recited aloud by International Baccalaureate (IB) students as they watched The Great Gatsby during a movie night held on Friday, Oct. 7. Organized by the IB Student Organization (IBSO), diploma programme juniors and seniors were invited to view the film adaptation of the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which they studied during the first nine-weeks of their literature classes.

In collaboration with Dell Children’s Medical Center, new stuffed animals were also collected for donation to help pediatric patients in need. As part of efforts to strengthen interconnectivity outside of the academic setting, facilitating opportunities to give back to the larger community goes hand in hand with student bonding.

“I love the [IB] program for its super fun people,” Maggie Fan ‘23 said. “Doing things for the community is something we all look forward to.”

While the tight-knit nature of the program has lent itself well to preserving traditions that honor adjacent goals of fostering sustained and meaningful relationships, recovery from the pandemic refined this focus. Events throughout the year are purposefully coordinated by specific planning committees that the officers are a part of, reflected in projects like teacher appreciation ‘encouragrams’ and IB Houses.

“[Our goal with movie night] was to build community and give students a place to have fun,” IB Coordinator Mrs. Christin Key said. “We have 23 council members, and they’ve really shown a lot of initiative. I’m excited to see what they do this year.”

IBSO plans to collect supportive notes written by students and package them with small treats to gift to teachers on Friday, Oct. 14.