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ENLARGE
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The first official steps toward an International Baccalaureate program begin in early October, and supporters of the program are hoping to galvanize the public to their cause for funding.
Within the next two weeks, two events will shape the IB movement, one being a visit from Washoe County School District Superintendent Heath Morrison on Monday, Sept. 28. Morrison is expected to speak on his experience with the program at his previous administrative position in Maryland.
Then, the push to install the international curriculum at Incline's public schools depends on the successful submission of an application on Oct. 1 to add the program in grades 11 and 12.
Jeni Cross, the Incline High School French teacher who is submitting the application, said the document includes everything from testing information to demographics for Incline's schools.
The application is for the Diploma Programme, which is an advanced, global curriculum for students in grades 11-12. The IB courses would be offered in addition to AP courses, or a student could take a full IB slate. The application is due Oct. 1 and is the first of two such applications for the Diploma Programme.
IHS could be certified for IB Diploma instruction by the 2011-12 school year.
The schools hope to establish IB at all three campuses by 2012-13, officials have said.
Funding needed
To the continue the program's momentum, organizer Gary Lee said the drive needs more funding, which is used to train teachers in IB instruction and to pay for the applications, which run $8,500 apiece.
“The program is expensive as far as training the teachers,” Lee said.
He said the group has raised about $54,000 through its fund with the Incline Schools Academic Excellence Foundation. Cross said about $1,500 is needed to train each teacher, and Incline needs to send 16 teachers from the middle school and high school level to train this fall.
“We're less than half of the way there for this year,” Lee said. “We need about $125,000 for the next two years and about $400,000 over the next 10.”
Lee said fundraising is key, as Incline springs for teacher training costs and IB's annual fees, which cost up to about $9,000 yearly for the Diploma Programme.
The Middle Years and Primary Years programs, which cover grades K-10, should be implemented by 2012-13; they cost about $6,620 annually in fees to the International Baccalaureate Organization, IB's governing body, organizers said.
What Morrison is saying
The Washoe County schools superintendent is set to speak Monday about his experience with IB and the district's stance on the success of it in Incline.
“We are very committed to working with Incline Village to make this work,” Morrison said. “I want to make sure they hear my support.”
Morrison said collaboration between school staff and the community is important in the IB process, an arduous one.
“The one thing I learned about IB is they take their product very seriously,” Morrison said. “Parents often ask me why it takes so long to get IB set up. It's because they are going to take as long as they're going to take — they want to make sure you're doing it right.”
Morrison commended Incline for taking on IB, adding the district is committed to assisting the schools in any way it can.
Within the next two weeks, two events will shape the IB movement, one being a visit from Washoe County School District Superintendent Heath Morrison on Monday, Sept. 28. Morrison is expected to speak on his experience with the program at his previous administrative position in Maryland.
Then, the push to install the international curriculum at Incline's public schools depends on the successful submission of an application on Oct. 1 to add the program in grades 11 and 12.
Jeni Cross, the Incline High School French teacher who is submitting the application, said the document includes everything from testing information to demographics for Incline's schools.
The application is for the Diploma Programme, which is an advanced, global curriculum for students in grades 11-12. The IB courses would be offered in addition to AP courses, or a student could take a full IB slate. The application is due Oct. 1 and is the first of two such applications for the Diploma Programme.
IHS could be certified for IB Diploma instruction by the 2011-12 school year.
The schools hope to establish IB at all three campuses by 2012-13, officials have said.
Funding needed
To the continue the program's momentum, organizer Gary Lee said the drive needs more funding, which is used to train teachers in IB instruction and to pay for the applications, which run $8,500 apiece.
“The program is expensive as far as training the teachers,” Lee said.
He said the group has raised about $54,000 through its fund with the Incline Schools Academic Excellence Foundation. Cross said about $1,500 is needed to train each teacher, and Incline needs to send 16 teachers from the middle school and high school level to train this fall.
“We're less than half of the way there for this year,” Lee said. “We need about $125,000 for the next two years and about $400,000 over the next 10.”
Lee said fundraising is key, as Incline springs for teacher training costs and IB's annual fees, which cost up to about $9,000 yearly for the Diploma Programme.
The Middle Years and Primary Years programs, which cover grades K-10, should be implemented by 2012-13; they cost about $6,620 annually in fees to the International Baccalaureate Organization, IB's governing body, organizers said.
What Morrison is saying
The Washoe County schools superintendent is set to speak Monday about his experience with IB and the district's stance on the success of it in Incline.
“We are very committed to working with Incline Village to make this work,” Morrison said. “I want to make sure they hear my support.”
Morrison said collaboration between school staff and the community is important in the IB process, an arduous one.
“The one thing I learned about IB is they take their product very seriously,” Morrison said. “Parents often ask me why it takes so long to get IB set up. It's because they are going to take as long as they're going to take — they want to make sure you're doing it right.”
Morrison commended Incline for taking on IB, adding the district is committed to assisting the schools in any way it can.
