On Thursday, October 18, 2018, students from different grade levels and schools visited the IB Open House to learn about Midlothian High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Before the event began, prospective families entered the school, ready to learn and understand the IB program. Current IB students and teachers welcomed the families to the auditorium, where the event was set to start.

In the auditorium, Principal Shawn Abel discussed his pride for IB and how much the program and its members have impacted the school. Afterwards, IB Coordinator Mr. Mark Spewak explained the components of IB, including the goals, work ethic, and diversity of each student. “IB is made up of a learner’s profile for the types of students that the program looks for,” Mr. Spewak said. “Throughout the program, you begin to check off each element in the profile that you have achieved. With hard work, you are able to do this flawlessly.”

With the assistance of IB student and teacher volunteers, the night was a success. Divided into three color groups, gold, green, and blue, visitors were directed to stations to learn more about the IB program. The library set up information about three integral parts of IB: Theory of Knowledge (ToK), Community-Action-Service (CAS) Volunteering, and Extended Essay (EE). In the chorus room, a student panel comprised of all IB grade levels provided information and answered questions about the IB class, workload, and time-management abilities.

The International Baccalaureate Open House gave students a detailed understanding of the IB program, along with an illustration of how IB works at Midlothian High School, leaving prospective families curious and intrigued by the program itself.