The cafeteria was full of jovial chatter as smiling faces posed in front of a banner that proudly declared “IB Done With the EE.” Honoring their hard work, the International Baccalaureate (IB) community came together on Wednesday, Oct. 1, to celebrate the seniors’ completion of their Extended Essay (EE).

The EE is a component of the IB core curriculum, which encourages students to be well-rounded and express proficiency in designing, conducting, and synthesizing personal research in a subject area of their choice. Writing the EE is an extensive and time-consuming process that starts in the winter of junior year and concludes in the fall of senior year. The bulk of the writing and research occurs over summer break, and when students return to school, they meet with their subject’s supervisor to review and reflect on their 4,000-word paper before submitting it for grading.

“My [EE] process went actually really well,” Claire Lee ‘26 said. “I think it was really interesting to research about things that I was interested in and about the history that is connected to my culture because I did a history EE.”

To honor the time and dedication the seniors put into their EEs, the junior IB Student Organization (IBSO) officers were tasked with planning the annual celebration. The team landed on a spa day theme and worked to curate decorations, plan activities, and provide a wide array of snacks and drinks.

“[IBSO officer Adam Trenk ‘27] ended up pitching the Spa Day theme and idea, and we were all super excited about it,” IBSO Officer Maya Alas ‘27 said. “We met up a couple of times outside of school, and we’re all really, really happy with how this event turned out. There were a couple last-minute stressful decisions we had to do, but it ended up being executed really well, so I’m very happy with it.”

At the celebration, seniors were provided with eye patches and spa headbands to match the theme while they connected with their friends. Once everyone had the chance to get food, the officers led activities such as tug-of-war (an EE party tradition). The primary principle of the evening was for seniors to relax and feel proud of the work they had put into the EE.

“I think so much of what characterizes IB is its academic rigor, but what counteracts that or makes it worthwhile or appealing to the people in IB is the sense of community that we’ve developed,” Lee said. “These events definitely help with that and just allow us to celebrate one another more.”

In a program known for its rigor and stressful course load, the EE is often considered to be the pinnacle of that rigor. Events like the EE celebration give everyone in the community a chance to celebrate one another’s hard work and bond outside of the classroom.

“I think it’s very important for us to do this because IB is a community,” Alas said. “One of the core ideals that we have is to all be connected with each other and all be friends with each other. Also, the EE is such a grueling task, and I think it’s super important that we recognize that the seniors put themselves through so much work and were able to produce an incredible essay, so I’m very happy that the juniors are able to acknowledge their work.”