SEBRING — An International Baccalaureate course carries weight with its admissions committee, a letter from Harvard College states. "Because we often do not know the quality of honors and dual-enrollment courses due to variation at different high schools and colleges, success in IB courses would be generally more meaningful to our Admissions Committee," Harvard Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons stated. For Highlands County parents seeking challenging academics for their children, success means getting an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program started by August 2009. About 250 people attended Monday evening's IB parent information forum at Hill-Gustat Middle School where Ed Vetter, principal of the IB School at Bartow High School, presented an overview of the IB diploma program. ...more

December 12, 2007

SEBRING — Could this year's advanced ninth-graders graduate high school with an International Baccalaureate Diploma? We'll have a better idea come March when the School Board of Highlands County decides whether to pursue the program. Then paperwork to start a feasibility study needs to completed by Sept. 1, 2008, said parent Diane Juve. The IB program is well known nationwide, and is a highly regarded college prep program, Juve added. Juve's child is in middle school and she played a big part in getting the Advanced Academics program to Highlands County. Parents curious about the program will have a chance to get some information. An informational parent forum on the IB program is scheduled at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 10 at Hill-Gustat Middle School. ...more

November 23, 2007