In August, IB juniors started their journey in the Diploma Programme. They courageously pushed forward on this path despite hearing the horror stories that encapsulate IB. A lack of sleep, work on top of work, and the dreaded 150 CAS hours were some of the highlights of such accounts. CAS hours have always been a requirement for IB students. This task requires 50 hours of creativity, 50 hours of activity, and 50 hours of service throughout the two years of the program. It was a burdensome task that all IB students had to go through… until they didn’t. 

This year, the IB class of 2024 received exciting news. North Atlanta decided to take away the time requirement for CAS. Instead of CAS hours, IB juniors were tasked with CAS experiences that weren’t quantified. They had to apply all the aspects of CAS to their lives, but it was not nearly as overwhelming as the original prerequisite. Unfortunately, however, the IB DP seniors were not able to escape their fate. They were still required to complete their 150 hours. Naturally, when seniors found out about this revision, they were not happy. This lack of delight in the new revelation led to some strong opinions. When realizing that they would be the last class to deal with CAS hours at North Atlanta High School, IB senior Trey Fox said, “I’m sorry, that’s just gotta be illegal.”

It’s an unconfirmed rumor that there is upperclassmen beef between the juniors and seniors but this revelation may have stoked the formally dormant flames.  For the record, the juniors had no say in the decision to remove CAS hours from the Diploma Programme, but at this point, the seniors were grasping at imaginary straws to blame for their unfortunate situation. “This is so unfair and I think that juniors are just getting lazy,” said IB senior Chase Dansby.

Despite the injustice of it all, some IB seniors are taking a glass-half-full approach to their reactions. Many are just grateful to be able to say that they survived the full IB experience, a slightly more optimistic opinion on the change. Regardless of the salty seniors, CAS hours are gone and juniors are jubilating.