International Baccalaureate Schools In Washington

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and the Advanced Placement (AP) Courses series are the 2 premier high school curricula. In Washington, there are 12 IB high schools. In a couple of years, Kamiak High School will be the 13th starting with the IB Middle Years Program (covering 6th-10th grade as the Harbour Pointe Middle School students come through). All are public schools. At many selective universities, such as Johns Hopkins University, the IB Diploma program is rated the best at college prep. Last year, at the February 2002 JHS PTSA meeting, we had 2 IB speakers: Dr. Vernon from Skyline High School in Sammamish and Carol Lee from Thomas Jefferson High School in Auburn. By almost every measure, nearby Inglemoor HS is one of the top IB schools in the state. For those seeking an IB education for their children, the contacts for each IB school in Washington are listed below. This information is also available from the OSPI web site
.http://www.k12.wa.us/AP/

• A.C. Davis High School, 212 S. 6 th Avenue, Yakima, WA 98902
  Steve McKenna mckennaSteve@ysd.wednet.edu
  Phone: 509.573.2500
• Capital High School, 2707 Conger Avenue, Olympia, WA 98502
  Diane Rae drae@osd.wednet.edu
  Phone: 509.753.8880
• Columbia River High School, 800 NW 99 th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665
  Brenda Miles bjmilesib@aol.com
  Phone: 360.313.3932
• Edmonds-Woodway HS, 7600 212 th Street SW, Edmonds, WA 98026
  Kathy Ludgate perryr@edmonds.wednet.edu
  Phone: 425.670.7900 x 6164
• Henry Foss High School, 2112 S. Tyler, Tacoma, WA 98405
  Diane Bradley dbradle@tacoma.k12.wa.us
  Phone: 253.571.7357
• Inglemoor High School, 15500 Simonds Road NE, Bothell, WA 98011
  Jeanie Yocum jyocum@nsd.org
  Phone: 425.489.6540
• Interlake High School, 16245 NE 24 th Street, Bellevue, WA 98008
  Marcia Pink Marcia.pink@bsd405.com
  Phone: 425.456.7319
• Kennewick High School, 500 S. Dayton Street, Kennewick, WA 99336
  Twila Wood woodtw@ksd.org
  Phone: 509.585.3222
• Kent-Meridian High School, 10020 SE 256 th Street, Kent, WA 98031
  Heidi Geise hgeise@kent.wednet.edu
  Phone: 253.373.4066
• Mt. Rainier High School, 22450 19 th Avenue S., Des Moines, WA 98198
  Mac Willems willemsm@hsd401.org
  Phone: 206.433.2441
• Skyline High School, 1122 228 th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98029
  Bob Zimmerman zimmermanb@issaquah.wednet.edu
  Phone: 425.837.7701
• Thomas Jefferson HS, 4248 S. 288 th Street, Auburn, WA 98001
  Carol Lee clee@fwsd.wednet.edu
  Phone: 253.945.5623

Governor Locke’s Summer Reading Challenge Program

The following is an excerpt from Governor Locke’s web site:

Governor Locke wants to encourage all young people, under the age of 18, to read during their summer vacation. The Governor challenges you to read 15 hours, or more, and tell him about your summer reading adventures. If you complete the Challenge you will receive a signed certificate of accomplishment from Governor Locke. You also will qualify for random drawings for great prizes, including a trip to Disneyland.

We have added Governor Locke’s program to our reasons for encouraging summer reading on our proposed required/recommended summer reading page.

http://www.apibboosters.org/SummerReadingEverettSD.html

This proposal has sparked much conversation. We have received many positive comments from parents and teachers. We are also working with the middle school PTAs and the high school PTSA to help promote summer reading for all students at all grade levels.

Recently our proposed summer reading list was in the local newspaper

http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/03/5/27/16975194.cfm

Two of our members were also interviewed on Komo Radio.


No Child Left Behind Story submitted by Dr. Jeff Herz

The ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) that Jackson High School is paying close attention to, is part of the No Child Left Behind legislation. The following story was published in the May 15th "No Child Left Behind" newsletter.

Once Slated to Close, a Bronx High School Becomes Premier Place for Vocational, Technical Learning

Mary Ann Hawthorne sees solutions, not problems, so when she took over as principal of the Samuel Gompers Vocational and Technical High School in the South Bronx, in the early 1990s, she immediately set out to change the operations and the educational culture of the failing school. The fact that Gompers is located in the congressional district with the lowest per capita income in the nation didn't phase her.

"The school looked like Lean on Me," she said, referring to the 1989 film. "There were students in the halls and on the school grounds but nothing was going on in the classrooms." She soon found out the school was slated to close the following June.

That was just the beginning. Hawthorne realized students were not being recognized for achievement or even given a chance to achieve. "Students want to be challenged," she said. For example, the school offered no Advanced Placement courses. Today, there are AP classes in English, history, Spanish and environmental science. "If you have high expectations, students will try and meet them." Hawthorne also added extracurricular activities, including clubs, sports teams, cheerleaders and a school chorus, to increase school spirit.

The full story can be found at http://www.nclb.gov/Newsletter/20030515.html#2


Latest Newsweek Magazine: America’s Best High Schools

The June 2, 2003 edition of Newsweek Magazine has a focus on its listing of the top 100 public high schools. There are 3 Washington State high schools in the list. All 3 are in the top 20. And they are all in the Bellevue School District: Bellevue HS, International School, and Newport HS. 


Link to JHS June calendar
http://www.everett.wednet.edu/schools/high/hmjackson/calendar/june03.html

Link to AP/IB Boosters Scholarly Events listing
http://www.apibboosters.org/events/Events.html

Link to latest JHS PTSA newsletter
http://www.jhsptsa.org/news.html 

Thank you,

Todd Aagard
Chairperson
AP/IB Boosters
Advanced Placement Opportunities for All Students
www.apibboosters.org
info@apibboosters.org