Before the Exam Café presentation, our Eagles were given sketch pads to be creative with. Spiral, Stones, Lotus, and Yin-Yang symbols are a beautiful way to unwind.

Over the years, we have recognised that the end of the MYP and CP/DP programs turn out to be quite challenging for our students. From achieving personal expectations to the rigorous assessments, we noticed that most students forget to focus on a critical aspect of succeeding - self-care. Therefore we introduced the ARIS Exam Cafe as an intervention that focuses on reducing stress by providing strategies for time management, relaxation and health goal-setting. We successfully started this project with students from the 2021/2022 academic year, and this is our second year running. 

This year’s Exam Cafe started with an art therapy session where students were grouped to create beautiful Mandala art pieces representing relaxation. This 30-minute exercise was done with lo-fi music, which has scientifically proven to boost brain activity, reduce stress and enhance focus.

Next, we had guest speakers, Miss Priyanka Bagaria and Mr Dinesh Choudhary from The Art of Living Ghana. He curated and delivered a very interactive workshop on the science of stress and led the group through techniques on breath work to promote relaxation and increase energy.

In the end, a Q and A session with lessons learned were conducted, and snacks were provided.