The International Baccalaureate Program, or I.B., is the most rigorous highschool academic program recognized around the globe. It has been operating worldwide for 25 years and is in place in 200 schools in the United States and Canada and in over 600 schools in 83 different countries.
Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colorado is one of the American I.B. schools. The I.B. program offered by Smoky Hill High School includes two years of pre-I.B. and two years in a college prepatory curriculm which challenges the best scholars. The I.B. program promotes the understanding of all subjects by requiring its students to participate in all higher level disciplines including languages, social sciences, experimental sciences, mathematics, and electives such as music theory, computer studies, art, and psycology. All of the diploma candidates must also take a Theory of Knowledge course, submit an Extended Essay and complete 200hrs of volunteer work.
Having had the opportunity to go there I decided to take part in the I.B. program. I graduated from the IB program in 1998. Looking back, my experience was a positive one. I reccommed that freshman in highschool consider applying for the IB program. It is a strict program that promotes learning and understanding the world. IB is not easy. There are often late nights of studying and tasks that seem overwhelming. IB is tough but the positives far out weigh the negatives. The teachers in the IB program are the best in their field. They love their job which makes learning for students much easier. And because the students that are accepted into IB are there to learn, there are few distractions.
