MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Baldwin High School is set to debut its long-awaited International Baccalaureate (IB) program this fall, marking a significant milestone after three years of development.
The IB program, internationally recognized for its rigorous academic standards, aims to cultivate a deep understanding and respect for diverse cultures among students.
The program is designed to empower students to create a better world through global education.
Marya Ray, a 29-year teaching veteran and leader of the new IB initiative at Baldwin High, emphasizes the program’s focus on fostering cultural awareness and global understanding.
"Students need to be able to interact with people of various cultures and understand or respect other cultures," Ray said.
Unlike traditional Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the IB curriculum requires students to study six subject groups over their junior and senior years.
Students will culminate their studies with a series of essay-type exams to earn the IB diploma.
"Students may identify issues that affect their local community and compare them to issues around the world," Ray said.
In addition to providing a comprehensive educational experience, the program offers the possibility of earning college credit based on performance in these assessments.
"Those students may earn college credit of one or two courses depending on their score on that particular assessment," Ray said.
Currently, nearly 30 high school students are enrolled in the program at Baldwin High School.
She also highlighted the need to offer more opportunities for students in Milledgeville.
"We don't have same of the opportunities in Milledgeville that larger communities have," Ray said.
She's hopeful the IB program will ignite a passion for global issues and prepare students to become impactful leaders both locally and globally.
"They'll make a greater impact on the world by being able to address those global issues that they begin thinking about when they're in IB core," Ray said.
Students interested in joining the IB program must meet specific prerequisites.
Ray is actively seeking more participants to join the program and contribute to its success.
Parents and guardians can contact Baldwin High School for more information.