british School gains international distinction (Los Angeles, CA)

british School gains international distinction

It s no surprise that anything employing the word baccalaureate and its built-in suggestion of academic excellence usually catches an admiring glance. But add international to that and our minds soar to what must be the Mt. Everest of academia.british school in chinaApparently surviving the thin air of educational high pursuit Kyrene Middle School has planted its own flag of super-achievement in the form of the prestigious International Baccalaureate program meaning that students promoted there can be recognized worldwide at any school they attend.Incoming principal Scott Maxwell explained that KMS s IB certification represents an offshoot of the 51-year-old international organization s mission to maximize multidisciplinary student learning within a global context which emphasizes cross-cultural influences.That perspective says Maxwell fits the school s regional identity perfectly. Maxwell who takes his new job starting July 1 following former principal Julio Martinez says achieving such prestigious recognition was no cakewalk. Getting this designation was a demanding two-year process that involved every aspect of what we do at the school says Maxwell noting that the school will operate under the auspices of IB s Middle Years Programme. Leading up to the final designation IB personnel came onsite to visit classrooms meet with parents and students talk to teachers and take a look at our course offerings to confirm we were IB ready Maxwell said. The actual certification also required a major reconfiguration of our curriculum. In all my years in education I don t know that I ve ever encountered a school and area that s so unique Maxwell declared. We have kids from the Guadalupe neighborhoods the African-American Asian and Native American communities and others from fairly affluent areas all learning together under the globally defined umbrella that IB provides. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese Maxwell grew up in Boston studied in Beijing taught in China and South Africa and went on to earn a master s degree in International Studies and Special Education from Middlebury Institute of International studies in Monterey Calif.His international background in education makes Maxwell particularly enthusiastic to oversee the implementation of the IB program at the school. I m so glad we were able to bring Mandarin into our language offerings which now also include American Sign Language and Spanish Maxwell says adding the IB system s international perspective makes it unique in the world of education.