In today’s information-driven society, where technology and readily available communication platforms provide greater opportunities to learn than ever before, progressive school boards, like the Wellington Catholic District School Board, are offering their students access to a uniquely focused high school program designed to better prepare them for an ever-globalizing world.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is a globally developed two-year program offering students who love and appreciate learning the opportunity to secure an internationally recognized high school diploma. Launched in Geneva in 1968, the program includes a rigorous curriculum designed to better prepare students for ongoing study opportunities regardless of where they pursue their post-secondary education. Now in its fifth year of being locally available through the Wellington Catholic District School Board, the IB program provides students in grades 11 and 12 a truly well-rounded education according to local IB coordinator Amanda Belluz.
“The IB program establishes a real fundamental skill set for students using both local and global context to their learning,” said Belluz, who serves at Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School on Clair Road West. “Fundamentally, the subjects are similar to what an Ontario student would study, because Ontario does have a really great curriculum. However, the curriculum is designed by the IB, so there are some differences. What it does do is really enhance a breadth of skills; things like communication and presentation skills, learning how to research, learning to develop a thesis, all the things they are going to need when attending university.”
Belluz said the program is open to all students in grades 11 and 12, but it is really designed for those students on a pathway to university who are motivated, who enjoy learning and who like to be challenged. The IB program also provides students with a taste of university-style learning in a supportive environment.
“There are rumours that it’s all independent study and students are really left to their own devices,” said Belluz. “That’s not the case at all. We call it university style-learning with a safety net. It’s academically rich, it’s innovative, it really fosters students love for learning. It provides students with local and global perspectives. It also encourages students to embrace change, challenge and risk in terms of new experiences.”
More than 75 schools in Ontario currently offer the diploma program for high school students, with some, like Bishop Macdonell, offering a “sneak peek” through IB-inspired courses in grades nine and ten. Other schools, like Guelph’s Sacred Heart Catholic School, offer a primary years program for students in kindergarten through grade six focused on inquiry-based learning across the curriculum and challenges students to take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues and opportunities in real-life contexts.
“In both programs, we’re teaching from a holistic standpoint,” she said. “We’re teaching the whole student, not just the academic learner. It definitely does contribute to developing that well-rounded, adaptable, flexible person, which is what we hope and aim to achieve for each one of our learners, and graduates.
For more information on the IB Primary Years program, contact Amanda Belluz at 519-822-8502 Ext. 101321 or Natasha Finoro at 519-824-2751.