In previous years, Midlo’s International Baccalaureate Program hosted an open house in the early months of the school year to introduce prospective students to the program. Because of COVID-19 and the social distancing measures that Chesterfield County Public Schools has in place, the IB program decided to hold a virtual open house on November 17, 2020, to familiarize the Midlo community with the program. 

During normal open houses, IB students give prospective students a tour of Midlo and rotate through different rooms to learn more about the program. This year, IB offered the normal panel of students and teachers in the same Zoom breakout rooms, allowing “participants had a chance to hear all perspectives on a particular question at the same time,” describes IBPC President Mrs. Anette Ruzicka. In the breakout rooms, teachers, students, and parents shared their fondest memories of the IB Program, what the IB Program means to them, and their favorite parts of the IB Program. 

Students have always been at the core of the IB open houses, with many volunteering for the “different positions as team leader, greeter, and student panel,” explains IB Student Council President Olivia Nealon. This year’s open house was different because everyone remained in the same Zoom “rooms” while listening to volunteers talk about the IB Program. Organizers divided attendees into three groups, placed into Zoom breakout rooms, where they interacted with parents, teachers, and IB students who filled the roles of team leader, greeter, and student panel. 

Some students worried about adequate receiving an amount of information virtually; however, Ruzicka believes that students and their families walked away with plenty of knowledge and the information to ask questions in future community Q&A forums scheduled on November 19, November 23, December 2, and December 9. To attend these forums, go to bit.ly/MidlothianIBOpenHouse and click on the link at the top of the website that lists the dates of the forums.

For more information about the IB Program, visit:

• bit.ly/MidlothianIBOpenHouse
• www.midlothianib.com
• bit.ly/MidloIBPC
• bit.ly/MidloIBSC
• Instagram accounts:
  • IBSC: @midloib
  • IB Prospective Student Committee: @interestinmidloib