The message Kinston High School’s 2012 International Baccalaureate class gave to the current crop of IB students Thursday was simple — don’t stress out about college, because it will be easy compared to the IB curriculum.
“All of your hard work is going to pay off. … IB is actually way harder than college,” said Resita Cox, currently a UNC student and a recipient of an IB certificate.
Cox was one of 19 members of Kinston High’s class of 2012 who received IB honors during the previous school year.
Ron Owens, coordinator of Lenoir County Schools’ IB Diploma Programme, said school officials do not typically receive the results of the final IB exams until July, and the recipients are honored during a ceremony in late December or early January.
The ceremony for the 2012 honorees took place Thursday in KHS’ cafeteria — it was scheduled to take place in the Performing Arts Center, but power issues which affected the campus Wednesday required moving the event to the cafeteria.
Five graduates received full honors in the form of an IB diploma; 10 more received IB certificates and four received “a la carte” honors for students who take a limited number of IB classes.
“You chose to challenge yourselves and you chose to prove to yourself, to your parents, to your friends and to the world that you are willing to work to accomplish more than is required,” LCS Superintendent Steve Mazingo told the honorees. “As a result, you will have a well-earned advantage over your peers. You have set a standard for yourself that will take you wherever your dreams may lead.”
Not all 19 IB honorees were able to attend Thursday’s ceremony, but those who came had the opportunity to speak to students currently in the program.
“Nobody can say that it was easy,” said diploma recipient Liesel Nix. “You have to work hard, you have to study; you have to do all of your work.”
Thomas Tsao, an IB diploma recipient who is currently a freshman at New York University, told the students “I’m definitely not as stressed” while in college.
“Good luck everybody and have fun in IB,” Tsao said.
Dillon Perry, who is studying computer science at Winston-Salem State University, said IB students are “held to a higher standard,” which helps when adjusting to being on one’s own for the first time in college.
“Right now, I feel like I could take over the world because I graduated from Kinston High and I got my IB certificate,” said graduate Christian Pridgen.
Owens said after the ceremony there are currently 181 students in the ninth through 12th grades participating in the IB program.
The program is open to students countywide — those who live outside of the Kinston High district must transfer to KHS to take part.
Freshmen and sophomores are considered “prospective” IB students and take part in preparatory coursework. If they pass, they will be able to undertake the rigorous IB curriculum in their junior and senior years.
“It prepares kids to be global citizens and thinkers,” Owens said.
The curriculum includes six courses: English, foreign languages, history, science, mathematics and an elective, such as visual arts.
The students must also spend 150 hours on CAS — Creativity, Action, Service — during which they participate in projects outside the classroom, such as community service projects they have designed.
“Colleges are looking for students that are doing things outside the box,” Owens said.
David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or David.Anderson@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at DavidFreePress.
FYI
For more information on the International Baccalaureate program in Lenoir County Schools, contact Ron Owens at 252-527-8067, ext. 1151 or email rowens@lenoir.k12.nc.us
Visit the International Baccalaureate website, ibo.org