Harrison Prep Gains Official Status As International Baccalaureate School

It is an achievement three years in the making.

After as many years of preparation and planning, Harrison Preparatory School has received its official authorization as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, offering the Middle Years Program to sixth- through 10th-graders.

IB is an international educational program founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland. It aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring students who, in turn, will help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

Here in Lakewood, those students will come from Harrison Prep – and district officials couldn’t be happier.

"The International Baccalaureate program provides students with standards-based learning experiences that enrich them through technology, community partnerships and rigorous personal projects,” said Clover Park Schools Superintendent Debbie LeBeau. “The Harrison Prep staff is committed to fostering meaningful and personalized relationships with students to prepare them for global citizenship.”

In order to be eligible, Harrison Prep completed a feasibility study – the first of three steps to become an IB World School – in June 2008. Staff began implementing the IB curriculum during the 2009-10 school year, and completed required trainings before a visit by IB officials in March 2011.

“I am thrilled we have finally been authorized as an IB World School,” said Harrison Prep principal Lisa Boyd in a statement. “The Middle Years Program introduces our middle-school students to rigorous international standards and allows our staff to have access to an international community of teachers and resources.”

Plans are under way to begin the process of bringing the IB Diploma Program to Harrison Prep for high-school juniors and seniors. Foss High School in Tacoma is the only area school to offer the Diploma Program; there are IB programs at 3,324 schools in 141 countries across the globe.

 “I am very excited for our students and staff and appreciate everyone’s hard work and dedication to this important program,” said Casey Silbaugh, Harrison Prep’s IB coordinator, in a statement

The Middle Years Program curriculum focuses on eight subject groups with five “Areas of Interaction” that promote global understanding and encourage student self-direction, critical thinking and collaboration, including parent involvement and community service:

1. Approaches to Learning: Fostering study skills and the learning process;
2. Community Service: Working on projects related to improving the community;
3. Health and Social Education: Developing a sense of responsibility for students’ own physical, mental and social well being;
4. Environment: Focusing on the interdependence of humanity and the world we live in; and
5. Human Creativity: Exploring the processes, products and impacts of human innovation.

The program wraps up in 10th grade with a personal capstone project – an independent and significant piece of reflective work. This year’s sophomores will be the largest group to complete the project to date.

A five-year donation of $148,000 from the Rotary Club of Lakewood helped bring the program to Harrison Prep.

“Thanks to the policy decisions of the Clover Park School District Board of Directors and the support and partnership of the Rotary Club of Lakewood, Clover Park School District students have another wonderful option for their education,” LeBeau said. “We look forward to the new facility that will accommodate all students who wish to enroll.”

An IB celebration is scheduled at the school from 7-8:30 p.m. on Feb. 16. The public is invited.