fbpx

IB Program This Week: March 18, 2024

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

(Normal updates will resume on March 25, 2024.)

Regular meetings for Junior and Senior IB Diploma Program (IBDP) students are an important way to stay on top of deadlines, review IB policies and guidelines, bond as a cohort, and, of course, celebrate accomplishments through IB shoutouts!


Senior IBDP students attended last week’s cohort meeting on Monday, March 4. Most students brought lunch, and everyone enjoyed homebaked treats from IB Coordinator Kim McGlynn—in this case, blueberry muffins and the usual chocolate chip cookies that are tradition for these meetings.


Senior IBDP students celebrated the timely submission of Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) work with glowing rings of power!


Lakme Bergeret (’24) and Alice Morrison (’24) were deemed the “Rulers of CAS” for consistently submitting IB CAS work on time and in advance of deadlines! As a prize, they were awarded pizzas…


which they naturally shared with friends. 😊


Junior IBDP students attended last week’s cohort meeting on Wednesday, March 6—and proudly showed off prizes for their hard work.


In honor of the Activity strand, students earned fidget bracelets for their timely Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) work. Students also earned prizes for the work on the Extended Essay (EE). They were gifted small animal “loveys” to reassure them that they’ve done some very fine EE drafting and submitted it on time. And they received small stamps or “seals of approval” for their good reflection on the Reflections on Planning and Progress form for the EE—after all, being reflective is one of the IB Learner Profile qualities!


Last but not least, the “Rulers of IB Core” were crowned! Vera Kim (’25), Phoebe Gunn (’25), and Halaylah Lewis-McGlothan (’25) were awarded pizzas for consistently submitting IB Core work on time and in advance of deadlines!


Everyone was happy with their pizza prizes, whether delivered for lunch as Vera Kim (’25) and Phoebe Gunn (’25) chose or picked up for dinner with a friend as Halaylah Lewis-McGlothan (’25) decided to do. 

International Baccalaureate

Read more details about the IB Program.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR JUNIORS & SENIORS IN IB COURSES

IB EXAMS

Students enrolled in IB courses are required to take IB exams. Junior and Senior IB Diploma Candidates have been registered for their subject exams.

Junior and Senior IB Course Candidates (students that are taking individual IB courses but are not full diploma candidates) have been registered for their subject exams.

The cost for each subject exam is $119. The deadline for registration was Wednesday, November 1 after which there are no refunds and any changes will incur additional costs.

Students can check their IB exam registrations on the portal: “Students” tab –> “My GS” –> “My IB Registrations.” This page shows the IB exams for which they are registered (please note that financial aid considerations are not listed here). It also shows their personal code and pin, which they may need to list on some Internal Assessments (IAs) and which must be used to access IB results in July.

Students with financial aid are automatically granted aid on exams commensurate with their financial aid package. Questions should be directed to Mike Murray (Associate Director of Admission and Director of Financial Aid).

LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS

The deadline for inclusive access learning accommodations requests was October 1. All requests are being evaluated by IBO.

IB DIPLOMA PROGRAM GENERAL INFO

IBDP meetings throughout the year will offer a way to connect, to handle some administrative details concerning IB exam registration, and address matters specific to either Diploma Program Year 1 (DP1) or Diploma Program Year 2 (DP2).

All IBDP meetings are posted to students’ Canvas IB tiles and to the George School calendar.

CLASS OF 2025

EXTENDED ESSAY (EE)


EE Supervisor, Chris King, offers feedback to IBDP student Katharine Coleman (’25).

One of the IB Core components required to earn the diploma, the Extended Essay (EE) is a 4,000-word independent research essay which fosters development of the IB Learner Profile characteristics.

Students select one of the six IB groups—Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature, Group 2: Studies in Language Acquisition, Group 3: Individuals and Societies, Group 4: Experimental Sciences, Group 5: Mathematics, and Group 6: The Arts—in which to write their essay and select a subject within this group, identify a topic of interest, and subsequently develop a research question.

During IB Core: Inquiry, an introductory one-mod IB course at the beginning of the year and, with the help of IB Coordinator Kim McGlynn and the EE Coordinator Carly Wassel, students begin this process and eventually connect with an EE Supervisor, or expert in the field, to further assist their efforts.

Students often take risks as they may end up writing in a subject or on a topic they had not previously identified or consider a new perspective, engage in extended reflection as they hone their independent line of inquiry, and learn to communicate with their EE Supervisor.

While this essay presents a significant challenge for students, it also offers an incredible opportunity to develop important skills necessary for college and life beyond, from facility with independent research to balancing one’s time to refining critical thinking and critical writing abilities. Students become genuine experts on their topic, knowledgeable about a subject of interest, and principled in their approach, as they generate conversation between various sources and their own ideas.

Most of all, students learn to genuinely care for their work and take pride in their accomplishments, especially after working through the setbacks and challenges that are a natural part of the writing process for such a lengthy assignment.

The IB Learner Profile traits: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective.

•   The EE is not a formal part of any subject course beyond these first five weeks in “IB Core: Inquiry” and is written independently. However, Carly Wassel (EE Coordinator) works closely with students to ensure that they have ample support throughout this process, including a clear infrastructure of steps and deadlines to ensure successful completion of this major research essay. In addition to Carly, students will work closely with an EE Supervisor of their choice. At present, students are working hard on the drafting stage of the EE process. Students who are behind with the drafting process or who have been contacted by Kim McGlynn (IB Coordinator) must respond immediately. Carly Wassel (EE Coordinator) is out on maternity leave.

• The full EE draft is due Monday, April 8. Students are advised to maintain good communication with their EE Supervisors and to pay particular attention to attribution and citation format.

CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICE (CAS)


Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is an integral part of the IB Diploma Program, and the CAS Project is a major component of this work. CAS Projects must be a month-long in duration, collaborative in nature, and adherent to the CAS stages of development: investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration. For their CAS Project, juniors Cecilia Li (’25) and Peter Tang (’25) hosted “Welcoming the Year of the Dragon at our Lunar New Year Celebration: An intergenerational Experience” at Pennswood Village, a neighboring retirement community.

Around 70 residents participated in the event, and the students were glad that everyone enjoyed the presentation on the Lunar New Year! At the end of the meeting, there was a Q&A session that focused on Chinese history and tradition, followed by a delicious taste test of the dumplings they made for the residents. Credit goes to fellow junior IBDP student, Charlie Pfalzgraf (’25), for taking photos of the event.

Like all CAS Projects, this project took a lot of collaborative planning and preparation over time and adhered to the CAS stages of development! From coordinating with Pennswood as well as George School’s IB Coordinator and Service Learning Coordinators to constructing a great presentation complete with PowerPoint slides to cooking authentic Chinese dumplings, Cecilia and Peter initiated and investigated what to do and prepared for the event. Then, they sprang into action as great public speakers and presenters.

Afterwards, Cecilia reflected on the event, observing that it was “one of the biggest highlights in my life.” She noted that, “We not only shared our experiences with Lunar New Year, we also invited the residents to talk about their impressions of this traditional Asian holiday. I could genuinely feel how much fun both the audience and we were having during the event!”

Cecilia and Peter will continue to demonstrate what they have learned by presenting additional sessions at Pennswood—they plan to do at least five more!—and continuing to share their CAS Project experience with others.

•   At the beginning of the year, students were introduced to CAS requirements, which are fulfilled as a natural part of being a GS student, and completed some (group) CAS experiences through their IB Core: Inquiry course. Throughout the year, students engage in CAS experiences and submit CAS reflections at various checkpoints. Students must check Canvas for any revisions to be made. Students who are behind with this work or who have been contacted by Kim McGlynn (IB Coordinator) must respond immediately. Regular completion of CAS is a requirement for earning the IB Diploma.

•   Some CAS Projects have already been completed, others are in progress, and the rest have mostly been planned! Juniors that have not yet proposed and confirmed their CAS Projects must check with Kim McGlynn (IB Coordinator) to ensure that they have a plan for this work.

•   The FINAL CAS Check and CAS Project Confirmation was due on Friday, March 8. Any student with outstanding work must submit it before spring break.

•   The IB Core: CAS Status Check is due Friday, March 29.

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE (TOK)

•    Students were introduced to the TOK requirement and engaged in some initial TOK thinking exercises. In the last few terms of the year, they begin their formal exploration of TOK concepts and complete the TOK Exhibition.

Upcoming Meetings

•    The next required Junior IBDP meeting, ““EE: Focus on the Revision Process,” is on Wednesday, April 3. All IBDP meetings are posted to students’ Canvas IB tiles and to the George School calendar.

CLASS OF 2024


Senior IBDP student Drew Mirarchi (’24) and GS and IBDP alum Melaina Young (’93)

Like mother, like son! For some families, IB is a tradition…

Melaina Young, now Head of the English Department and the Dodd Teaching Chair, earned her George School Diploma and her IB Diploma in 1993, and still fondly remembers her IB classes. She completed her IB Higher Level course work in English A Literature, History, Spanish, and Visual Arts, her IB Standard Level course work in Chemistry and Math Studies, wrote her Extended Essay (EE) in Group 1: Literature on conformity in Gloria Naylor’s novel Linden Hills, and featured her achievements as a Varsity Field Hockey player and a standout Varsity Lacrosse goalie in her Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) portfolio. She did her CAS Project in the Service strand, living and working on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana.

Her son, Drew Mirarchi (’24), is now an IB Diploma Program (IBDP) Candidate himself, completing IB Higher Level course work in English A Literature, History, and Economics and IB Standard Level coursework in Spanish B, Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation, and Environmental Systems and Societies. Drew wrote his Extended Essay in Group 3: History on WWII’s impact on baseball and, like his mother, is a notable athlete, competing at the Varsity Level in Soccer and Lacrosse. He completed his CAS Project in the Activity strand, establishing a Lacrosse clinic for young athletes at Newtown Friends School, the Quaker elementary school adjacent to GS.

Melaina and Drew might be the most obvious example, but IB is truly a family—one that spans classrooms and continents, one that may reflect differing perspectives at times as the IB mission statement acknowledges, and yet also one that always upholds its common goals and recognizes its members with respect, understanding, and love.

EXTENDED ESSAY (EE)


Senior IBDP student Elizabeth Chun (’24) in the George School science classroom
 

One of the IB Core elements and a requirement to earn the diploma, the Extended Essay (EE) is a 4,000-word independent research essay. Although a formidable challenge for any high school student, this assignment is a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge in a particular subject, to pursue a specific topic of interest, and to develop research and critical writing skills that benefit students in a myriad of ways. For Elizabeth (Lizzie) Chun, the EE offered strong preparation for a robust learning experience at a University of California Irvine summer program.

Testimonial from Lizzie Chun (’24): “When I decided to write my Extended Essay on Biology simply out of interest, I had no idea where to begin. However, with the help of my supervisor, Pascal [Pascal Lanciano is the George School Science Department Head], I was able to obtain a thorough understanding of the process of writing as well as the methodology of research. With this experience at hand, I was confident with my research abilities when joining the UCIXGATI BEAM program, a summer program that features STEM research and innovation, during my junior year. Joining this program allowed me to apply the knowledge I had acquired when I worked on my Extended Essay, such as collecting relevant data, organizing my thoughts, and writing, along with gaining invaluable insight into conducting university-level research in a professional setting. Consequently, I was able to develop a valuable research piece, which was accepted by the electronic journal called International STEAM Communications. This has been a rewarding experience and I am certain that it will serve me well in my future endeavors in the STEM fields. I am grateful for this opportunity!”

•   All students have completed their essays and this work has been authenticated and confirmed. All Extended Essays have been sent to IB for evaluation.

CREATIVITY, ACTIVITY, SERVICE (CAS)


 

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is an integral part of the IB Diploma Program. As part of this requirement, students are expected to complete a CAS Project that “challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making” (IB Creativity, Activity, Service Guide). Students who complete CAS Projects in the Service strand may also earn credit for their George School service-learning requirement.

Recently, several IBDP students teamed up to host dance workshops for our friends at Pennswood Village, a neighboring retirement community. This CAS Project was initiated by senior Alexa Nygren (’24) and developed in partnership with Halaylah Lewis-McGlothan (’25) and Bimby Olaleye (’25). Together, these three students ensured that everyone had a great time getting in rhythm and following their lead!

•   Students must continue to complete and document their CAS work throughout the year. Adherence to deadlines, proper submission of reflections, and maintenance of their CAS portfolios is crucial. Students who are behind with this work or who have been contacted by Kim McGlynn (IB Coordinator) must respond immediately. Regular completion of CAS is a requirement for earning the IB Diploma.

•   The FINAL CAS Check and CAS Project Confirmation was due on Wednesday, March 13.

•   The CAS Portfolio Review is due by Friday, May 24. To complete this review, students must schedule the third CAS interaction, a brief one-on-one meeting, with IB Coordinator Kim McGlynn. Given scheduling considerations, it is advisable to do so prior to IB exams, which begin on April 25.

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE (TOK)

•  Students completed their TOK Exhibitions last year. This year, they started their TOK work by writing a practice TOK essay on one of the May 2023 prompts and recently completed and submitted their TOK Essays on one of the May 2024 prompts as well as a TOK Progress and Planning (TKPPF) form detailing three formal interactions with their TOK teacher.

•  All TOK Essays and TKPPF forms are being reviewed and in the process of being sent to IB for evaluation. Any student who has been contacted about their submission by Kim McGlynn (IB Coordinator) must respond immediately.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

•    The next required IBDP meeting for the full cohort, “IB Exams and Colleges,” is on Monday, April 1. All IBDP meetings are posted to students’ Canvas IB tiles and to the George School calendar.

Contact IB Coordinator Kim McGlynn at ibcoordinator@georgeschool.org with any questions.