The IB program celebrates 25 years

Twenty-five years ago, Winter Park High School Principal Eric Smith asked a group of teachers who taught AP and gifted classes to look at curriculum materials from an academic program he was interested in implementing. Dr. Smith, who later became Florida’s education commissioner, was a visionary who knew Winter Park was an outstanding school, but who wanted us to be excellent on the international scene as well. The materials he placed on that library table were all about the International Baccalaureate Program. Having faith in us, his instructions were simple. “Let’s make this work at WPHS.”

The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) was not only academically challenging, but encouraged critical-thinking skills, international awareness and open-mindedness. Taking a program that was very British in many ways and trying to fit it into an American public school was not an easy task. The approach to language and math — or maths, as the Brits would say — was very different from ours. The history program did not include a place for a national history, and we knew our students were required to take American History to graduate.

We read, and talked. We attended workshops, and kept asking, “How do we make this work in a U.S. public high school?”

In the summer of 1986, Bob Bass came on board as IB coordinator and we were beginning to catch on. Thirty sophomores started that year taking IB English and History. Two students, Slade Icardi and Jon Pye, would complete the program, and receive IB diplomas their senior year.

By the time the program was in full swing and Winter Park had become a full diploma program, Dr. Smith had moved on. We teachers had to resell the program to new principals, but we did it because students and parents were as enthusiastic about IB as we were.

Bob Bass became “Mr. IB,” making contacts throughout the IB world, and making sure faculty members had access to all the training and materials we could handle. He, and other Florida coordinators, also went to bat for IB students at the legislative level, getting legislation passed that gave students exemptions from some non-IB courses and college credit for good exam scores, and providing incentives for schools with good exam scores.

IB at WPHS became highly successful. Our exam scores were outstanding, and Winter Park would become the place other schools considering IB would come to visit. Faculty members would become workshop leaders, teachers and IB examiners. One highlight of the program was when Prabhu Balasubramanian scored a perfect 46 of 46 to earn his IB diploma, one of only 12 students in the world.

The most important factor in Winter Park’s success was of course the IB student body. Year after year, we have taught students who were not only bright, but who possessed a tenacious work ethic. “Smarts” are not enough for success in IB; the workload is heavy, and students can’t take any shortcuts. They cannot pick and choose courses according to what they are good at or what they like. They must do it all. Our students went on to attend great universities, to serve in the military, to become doctors, lawyers and computer engineers. Some started their own businesses; others work for big names such as Google. One is an aide to Al Gore; another is a historian for the U.S. State Department. Many of our students are now proud parents. Especially gratifying is that a number of our former IB students have become teachers.

The 25th Anniversary Celebration of Winter Park High School International Baccalaureate Programme is Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Main Campus. Call 407-622-3212.

Renée Bell is a founding teacher of the IB program at Winter Park High School.