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WEEKs of September 3 & 10, 2007
@BFS! archives

First IB Students Are Ready to Roll

by Jeffrey Stanley

This September marks a milestone for BFS and for the Upper School in particular. It’s the start of our first school year with the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program in place, the culmination of a process that began three years ago under the fervent leadership of Head of School Michael Nill.

Upper School history teacher Vlad Malukoff is the IB Program Coordinator and will work closely with students, parents and Upper School faculty to see that it runs smoothly. Over the past year he and the Upper School leaders offered general information sessions for Middle and Upper School parents, and more specific sessions tailored to tenth grade parents and students considering applying to the program. “I was impressed with their enthusiasm,” he said.

A long-time BFS history teacher, Vlad likes the IB curriculum because it pushes the interrelationship between fields of knowledge and offers the possibility of going into depth. He gave an example: “Let’s face it. American students have a real gap when it comes to European history and things that are going on now around the world. The IB version of European History allows students to make global connections so that European History isn’t necessarily just about Europe. They could connect European history to a contemporary political crisis in another part of the world, for instance.”

Overseen by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) based in Geneva, Switzerland the IB diploma, offered at 1,500 authorized schools around the world, is an optional curriculum that juniors and seniors can take in order to give their final two years of high school a global focus in six subject areas. The interdisciplinary course, Theory of Knowledge, links all of the IB courses into a big picture. IB eleventh-grader John Vielot is particularly intrigued by the course, “because it’s more of a discussion-based class where we get to speak about philosophies and theories... it ties in what you’ve learned with something from your own experience. It’s a class of thought.”

The goal of the IB program, which also requires 150 hours of community service, is to give students a broader understanding of international affairs and an ability to work in an increasingly multicultural society. The IB diploma is becoming a strong signal to prospective colleges and employers that graduates possess a heightened awareness of global issues, are equipped to think critically, and can apply their learning to real-world situations. “These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right,” according to the IBO’s mission statement.

With great enthusiasm and high expectations, Head of Upper School Roxanne Zazzaro and Vlad Malukoff, IB Program Coordinator (above), are looking forward to implementing the IB progam at BFS this year.

Upper School Head Roxanne Zazzaro stressed this particular component of the IB diploma when asked to describe the program. “Our students and our mission fit the mission of the IB program. Graduates in this day and age need to be well prepared for the entire world as the stage for their career paths. Our students are already good thinkers and effective communicators – they are knowledgeable, open minded, caring, and reflective. They are risk-takers.”

The first students to take the plunge applied this spring. “They completed an application form that asked for an essay, parent recommendation and one teacher recommendation,” explained Roxanne. Then Vlad interviewed each applicant and their parents. Finally Roxanne, Vlad and the student’s tenth grade advisor met to discuss the application. Fifteen students made the final cut.

New BFS science teacher Sid Ganesan will teach IB Biology. “It’s different from the traditional biology curricula in the sense that it’s geared towards pushing kids and teachers to get involved in as much critical thinking as possible,” he said. “The focus is on pushing groups to really explore theoretical ideas and examine established principals on their own, independently.”

Junior Ellie Williams, who entered BFS in ninth grade and is considering attending a college outside the US, applied for the program for pragmatic reasons. “I would like to have the option of going to college anywhere in the world,” she said. “What excites me most about the program is the different structure of the classes and the new style of learning that it incorporates.”

John Vielot has been here since Middle School, and says it dawned on him that college admissions are increasingly competitive these days and he hopes to gain an edge. “I do, however, have a specific career I’m aiming to, and that’s to be the owner of my own business, an entrepreneur. Hopefully IB can gear me towards achieving that goal.”

Sid pointed out that student interest in the program reflects how the world has changed in the last twenty years. “It’s a fantastic adaptation. Students and teachers are charged to mold and adapt their IB course to their own setting, to the issues in their community. It’s being implemented by all types of schools all across the world.”

Sid also is the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) Coordinator for all the Upper School grades. Another requirement for the IB diploma, the CAS program has been extended to the entire Upper School student body. Students in the ninth and tenth grades will become introduced to the CAS program by learning the basic fundamentals of and becoming aware of the importance of service learning. They are expected to complete 50 hours of service by the end of the tenth grade. The eleventh and twelfth grade students will complete a minimum total of 150 hours of in-school and out-of-school projects, evenly distributed over the arts, athletics and various forms of service and social entrepreneurship.