Year-End Reflection with Students and School Leadership
The WAB Podcast
As the school year draws to a close and the summer holiday approaches, we bring you a special end-of-year episode and the season finale. In this episode, two Grade 11 students, Francesco and Grace, took the mic. They sat down with our Head of School, Marta Medved Krajnovic, and Stephen Taylor, WAB's Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, to reflect on the year’s highlights and look ahead to the future. A Year of Celebration and Connection From September 1, when our community came together to launch the 30th anniversary, this year has been a joyful celebration of WAB’s...
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Toddle Comes to Middle School: A New Era of Learning
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the WAB Podcast! In this episode, Kevin Crouch, WAB's Head of EdTech, IT, and Libraries, sat down with three students, Ville from Grade 5, Sophie and Ciara from Grade 7, along with Middle School Principal Marina Frias-Gavidia, to discuss the exciting rollout of Toddle in Middle School next school year. They also talked about how it can facilitate student learning, increase student agency, and incorporate AI-powered support. Why Toddle? For the past four years, Toddle has been a cornerstone of learning in the Elementary School, streamlining everything from lesson...
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Exploring Minds, Shaping Futures in Middle School
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the WAB Podcast! In this episode, we're learning about Middle School Individuals & Societies. Joining us were Grade 6 student Justin, Grade 7 student Frederic, Grade 8 student Iris, along with their I&S teacher, Claudia Gomez. Claudia explains how Individuals & Societies goes beyond traditional social studies. Rooted in the IB Middle Years Programme framework, it’s an interdisciplinary, skills-based subject where students learn to: Formulate meaningful research questions Design and implement action plans Reflect deeply on their learning journey ...
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How Elementary School Student Council Shapes Their School
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the WAB Podcast. In this episode, we take a closer look at what student leadership looks like in our Elementary School, and how even our Elementary students are making a difference in their school community. We're joined by three members of the ES Student Council: Carolina and Maya from Grade 5, and Julian from Grade 3, as well as Elementary School Principal Catherine Pierre-Louis. Together, they reflect on what it means to be part of Student Council, why they chose to get involved, and how they’ve worked together to lead projects that matter to them and their peers. ...
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Student Social Entrepreneurship Partners with Tiger Den
The WAB Podcast
What happens when students combine creativity, community values, and real-world challenges? You get student-led initiatives like Empowering Entrepreneurs and ProFarmer, socially driven projects supported by Parent Link with promotions, and through Tiger Den, WAB’s parent-run shop. Co-led by EJ and Morgan and run by a group of dedicated parent volunteers, Tiger Den opens weekly and hosts pop-up shops at school events. They sell WAB-branded apparel and merchandise as well as student-developed products that raise funds and awareness for community partners. EJ emphasized the idea to start...
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From Idea to Impact: How STEMx Club Sparked Science Day
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to a new episode of the WAB Podcast. Today, we’re exploring how student leadership, innovation, and the power of science come together to connect and inspire. Joining us are members of WAB’s High School STEMx Club, Grade 11 students Hannah, Utkarsh, and Shane, along with their teacher and advisor, Paul Wagenaar. Together, they share how a group of passionate students reimagined what science learning could look like, culminating in WAB’s first-ever interschool Science Day. STEMx began as a student-led initiative aimed at making science more engaging for younger...
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WAB Wild Takes Learning Beyond the Classroom
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the latest episode of WAB Podcast! In this episode, we explored WAB Wild, WAB's very own outdoor learning program, and one that's all about adventure, teamwork, and connecting with nature. We were joined by Stephen Boyko, the coordinator of WAB Wild, and two Grade 8 students, Gustav and Kenzie, who shared their unforgettable experiences. From abseiling to cooking breakfast under the open sky, we uncovered how this program builds resilience, fosters community, connects with classroom learning, and changes perspectives on sustainability. Led by coordinator Stephen Boyko, WAB...
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Celebrating Cultures and Community at the Student-Led Night Market
The WAB Podcast
Welcome to the latest episode of the WAB Podcast, where we explore one of WAB’s growing student-led traditions: the Night Market. Joining us are Audrey and Rachel from Grade 11, and Chloe from Grade 10, three of the students who helped make this event happen. From cultural showcases and global cuisine to student performances and an all-new Open Mic stage, the Night Market was a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and cultural connection. For the first time, the event also welcomed students from APAC schools who were visiting WAB for a badminton tournament, adding an exciting...
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Student STEM Innovation: From Code to Cardiovascular Care
The WAB Podcast
In this episode of the WAB Podcast, we take a look at STEM learning at WAB. Grade 9 student Zane and Grade 10 students Anna, David, and Xander take us behind the scenes of their robotics, game development, and biomedical engineering projects. What they share isn’t just about technology, it’s about creativity, collaboration, and learning with real-world impact. Building, Breaking, Rebuilding: Robotics in Action Xander and David have been working together to design a competition robot using the VEX V5 system. David focuses on 3D modeling with Onshape, while Xander brings the...
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WAB DP Artists: Advocating Through Art
The WAB Podcast
In this episode, we explored DP Art with student artists, Emmett and Bella from Grade 12, and their teacher, Daniel Avila. Together, they talked about the recent DP Arts Exhibition, the hard work behind completing the final portfolio, the enjoyment of experimenting with innovative mediums, and the passion and creativity that drove them through this two-year art journey. Emmett’s work explores the irony of human development, using repetitive techniques like dot-making and woodcuts to critique industrialization and AI. He expressed that he became the instrument of labor in his own art, in...
info_outlineWelcome to the 13th episode of WAB Podcast Season 5! In this episode, we are joined by three Middle School students: Veronica from Grade 8, Claude from Grade 7, and Jasmine from Grade 6, along with their design teachers, Andy Cole and Simon Furmston. Together, they discussed the Middle School Design Showcase, highlighting the unique features of their projects, the challenges they encountered throughout the process, and the skills they developed along the way. Join us as we explore their creative journeys.
Simon introduced the purpose behind the Middle School Design Showcase, which served as a platform for students to exhibit their creations, receive feedback from peers, and share their work with parents. The design projects are intricate, involving the entire design cycle, from research and material selection to sketching designs, crafting test prototypes, making the final selection, and producing the project. From August to December, students worked on their projects, deserving recognition for their learning and perseverance.
Andy highlighted that students are required to familiarize themselves with various software tools to successfully complete their projects. Grade 6 students, who were tasked with designing banknotes, were introduced to the Adobe suite. They usually start with Photoshop, emphasizing the importance of understanding layers. The banknote project allows students to explore the complicated details and security features in the 2D graphic that is a banknote. This project also allows students to identify and integrate key elements from their culture or existing designs into their final product.
Grade 6 student Jasmine shared her journey of creating a digital banknote, starting with hand-drawing different layers on plastic and transferring them to Photoshop. After learning about the different security features of banknotes, she implemented these elements into her design. Jasmine also found organizing layers in Photoshop challenging, but she managed to arrange and label them effectively at the end.
Claude, a Grade 7 student, detailed his project of designing rocket packaging for NASA. He expressed his enjoyment throughout the process, highlighting the creative freedom to choose any brand and logo for the packaging design.
Veronica from Grade 8 crafted a hexagonal Bluetooth speaker, pushing her creative boundaries. She shared how she addressed the shape-related problem with the teacher's help and her difficulties in housing all the components within a compact design. Despite the hurdles, Veronica made a functional speaker, testing it with multiple devices and playing music on it.
If you're interested in discovering more about WAB's exciting student activities and inspiring learning stories, be sure to tune into this episode.