District’s IB program creates teens who make a difference

I am a 16-year-old International Baccalaureate diploma candidate. When I saw Susan Richardson’s Feb. 20 letter to the editor I was shocked.

The purpose of the IB program is not to help the Washington County community. The purpose is to help the world community. IB teaches students to better understand cultures they share a world with. It is true that IB requires different learning standards, but these standards are more in line with international schools and offer a much greater challenge than AP.

One error made in Richardson’s letter is the amount of students that graduate from the program. There are several ways you can be in the IB program. You can be a diploma candidate or you can just take IB classes like you would AP. While there is not a high percentage of IB diploma candidates yet, at least half of my grade is taking at least one IB class.

If you still need a direct benefit to our community, CAS (creativity, action and service hours) offers that. IB diploma students must complete 150 CAS hours. The purpose of this is simply to make a difference in your community and reflect on how that makes you a better person.

There are billions of people on this planet, not just the people you see around town each day. IB has opened my eyes to that and has helped me grow in ways I didn’t know I could. IB might be costly, but it offers something AP does not: global unification and cultural tolerance.

What is the district’s IB program really providing our community? Teenagers who are going out to volunteer and make a difference in the community. What is the IB program really providing our world? A new generation of culturally aware adults. That should be our focus.

Molly Gallahue - Woodbury

Tags: letter to the editor, opinion, updates