Featured School
This Month's Featured School: Senn High School
Senn High School (5900 N. Glenwood Ave.) is expanding its International Baccalaureate Programme this fall – and the excitement is palpable.
“It’s a great program, and we’re thrilled about this opportunity to grow and expand it,” said Richard Norman, Senn’s principal.
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) will be offered at Senn beginning next school year. That means about 100 incoming freshmen will have access to the IB Diploma Programme, which routinely places most of its students in four-year colleges upon graduation.
For nine years, the IB program at Senn was limited to juniors and seniors through the IB Diploma Programme. The addition of the MYP means younger students will get a chance to experience the IB track for their entire high school experience.
“IB is not just like a regular school program. It forces you to be well-rounded. After going through IB, you’re not just intelligent – you’re prepared to go to college, or to do whatever you want to do,” said Jhanus Francisco, a senior at Senn.
Francisco said he’s excited for younger students to get a chance to experience IB at Senn. He will try for his IB Diploma this spring, and he’s already earned a full scholarship to Oberlin College. After that, he said, he plans on becoming a psychiatrist.
“Being in IB, it brings you together with other students, as close as a family,” said Sana Iqbal, a junior in Senn’s IB program. She said the tight-knit IB community at Senn is something she didn’t find in her previous studies.
The IB MYP is designed to help students develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world. It’s a comprehensive college preparatory program, designed to challenge and enlighten top students. Participation in the IB continuum includes rigorous coursework, world language requirements, individual projects and community service.
“We’re preparing our students to be global citizens,” said David Gregg, who teaches an IB course at Senn called Theory of Knowledge. “The unique curriculum of the IB Programme allows us to do just that.”
Parents and students are invited to attend an Open House on Sunday, March 21, 2010, from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. in the newly-renovated Senn Theatre.
To find out more about the new program at Senn, view the informational flyer, contact the Office of Academic Enhancement at 773-553-2060, or call Senn directly at 773-534-2650.
For more information about IB, visit www.ibo.org.