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Highlands Today

Parents, Business Leaders Should Support Baccalaureate Program

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: December 2, 2007

A few fine people are at the forefront of a great idea that we urge the Highlands County School Board to embrace. Diane Juve, who is a parent of a district student, as well as Highlands Regional Medical Center CEO Robert G. Mahaffey and hospital Chief of Staff Vinod Thakkar are advocating for the International Baccalaureate Program in our schools. We can't think of a better idea to instantly propel our school district into a new league.

The International Baccalaureate program is a college prep program recognized internationally. It has rigorous academics and extracurricular requirements. Our district's best and brightest would compete on a level playing field with students from the best schools in the country. Successfully completing the program is the first step into gaining admittance to the best colleges and universities in the country.

The program, which students must earn the right to enter, involves less memorization of facts and more critical thinking and in-depth study in various areas of study. It's a strong liberal arts education, but also stresses math and sciences. It's the same thing prep schools in the Northeast provide their students, and that's why many of them are considered the best in the country. In fact, most of the best high schools in America are part of the International Baccalaureate program.

Florida has several of these programs, but Bartow is the closest to Highlands County. Despite the distance, a few local students study there. Not many parents have the free time or resources to make such a commute.

The benefits of such a program are countless for our young people. Just as important, it's critical for our community. Our businesses will be well served by highly educated young people, and higher-wage jobs can be brought to our area because employers can tell potential employees about the outstanding educational offerings we have here. Quality schools and top-notch academic programs play a big role in attracting employers – especially higher wage employers – to an area.

We need other local leaders of all kinds to stand up and be counted on bringing this to Highlands County. It should be more than just one concerned parent and the CEO of a local hospital. Every chamber of commerce, every business owner and manager and every parent who wants great opportunities for our young people need to step up in a big way and let our district know that bringing this is not a suggestion, it's a mandate.

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