Aspen School District students receive rare International Baccalaureate recognition
Aspen School District/Courtesy photo
The Aspen International Baccalaureate program continues to reach new heights.
The Aspen School District announced last week eight Aspen High School juniors were some of the only students in the country to pass the Middle Years Programme (MYP) assessment, which they took last spring. The exam, culminating the fifth-through-tenth grade portion of students’ IB education, includes social studies, science, math, language arts, interdisciplinary studies, and French or Spanish assessments.
“It’s just one more way for Aspen High School to set students apart from the pack,” Aspen High School Principal Sarah Strassburger said.
Receiving the certificate are Eleanor Carroll, Eli Foster, Sydney Klausmann, Carter Kuhlman, Cody Lewis, Marley Rich, Asher Smith, and Aurelia Tunte Stuck.
Of the four other schools in the country that offered the exam, three said they had no students pass, Middle Years Programme IB coordinator Sarah After said. One has not responded.
“It was a big academic goal for them,” After said of the Aspen students who received the certificate.
She said it also prepared them for the IB Diploma Programme, which runs from 11th through 12th grade and can count for college credit. Eleven of the 12 students who took the exam enrolled in the Diploma Programme.
“The MYP program was so beneficial to me heading into my DP (Diploma Programme) my junior year,” Aspen High School Student Sydney Klausmann said in a press release.
Klausmann said her increased understanding of IB’s expectations made the transition to IB less stressful and overwhelming.
Along with the exam, students complete a portfolio in their final year of the Middle Years Programme, focusing on visual arts, music, physical health, or design.
“This actually allows students to learn about something they’re passionate about,” Strassburger said.
They conduct general research about their subject of interest, hone in on a specific artist, and create a project with connection to the artist, she said.
“A lot of research, a lot of creativity,” she said of the project, adding, “It’s really cool because kids own the work, and we’re acting as sort of the facilitators and giving them feedback and support.”
Both the project and the Middle Years assessment can serve as material to write about for college applications, After said.
Despite the success of the IB program at the school district, Strassburger said they plan to grow in the future. This year, the Middle Years Programme participants in the 10th grade class increased from last year’s 12 students to 20 students. Enrollment in the Diploma Programme increased to 40 students in the 11th grade, their largest participation ever by a class.
“I think anytime we can just offer opportunities for students to really develop those lifelong learning skills,” Strassburger said, “I think that’s magical.”
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
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