Royal Oak High School Grows International Baccalaureate Program

The Royal Oak School District is rolling out its next portion of the International Baccalaureate program with the new Diploma Programme at Royal Oak High School. On March 6, Royal Oak High School and district administration received official authorization to run a program that has been several years in the making. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, ROHS juniors will have the option to be a part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

This two-year program continues the philosophy of the IB Primary Years Program at Keller Elementary and the IB Middle Years Program at Royal Oak Middle School and the high school.
“We will continue as we have been planning to, but this has been a little bit of a weight off our shoulders and a celebratory moment for us,” Leah Barnett, an ELA Teacher and the school’s DP coordinator said in the announcement. “Our team worked really hard, so this is a happy time for us.”

Barnett and other educators at the high school have been working over the past few years to develop the curriculum and pilot classes. The team has met many times this year with interested sophomores and their parents to discuss the program and its various options for students in preparation for the next school year.

“We will be busy, we will probably be working through the summer to be prepared for when our students come back,” Barnett said. “But now we know that they can officially begin the program, and we’ll have a healthy number of next year’s students when we start.”
According to the IB, through the Diploma Programme, schools are able to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge, as well as flourish “physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.” Students also study at least two languages and are expected to excel in traditional academic subjects.

Only schools authorized as an IB World School can offer any of the four academic programs offered by the organization. The IB Diploma Programme will be an “academically challenging and balanced program” including education with final examinations, which prepare students ages 16-19 for success at a university and life upon graduation.

The students can choose to embark in the full program or take classes a-la-cart.

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