For the past seven years, Albany High School has offered one of the most prestigious educational programs to its motivated students. The International Baccalaureate, or IB, Program offers these students great challenges and greater rewards.

Albany High School was accredited as an International Baccalaureate World School in 2005 under then-principal Michael Cioffi. According to IB Coordinator and teacher Ms. Margot Plumadore, Cioffi had always been aggressive about going after grants, but many of his peers thought the idea was “way too ambitious” for Albany High. Regardless of any initial doubt, however, the IB program experienced a good deal of success in its first year at Albany High. Twelve students entered the IB Program in 2005, and nine of them graduated with an IB Diploma in 2006.

Following this great start, renowned teacher Mr. Tom McGurn became the program’s coordinator, a position he would hold until the 2011-2012 school year. Under McGurn’s tenacious direction, the IB Program would see a great expansion in the years that followed.

In terms of the curriculum itself, there are two ways to approach the IB Program: in Plumadore’s words, the “meal deal” or the “dollar menu”. The former consists of a full IB schedule leading to an IB Diploma; the latter would see a student take select IB courses within a more traditional schedule. In addition to higher-level courses, the IB Diploma curriculum involves several engaging requirements: an independent Extended Essay on a topic of the student’s choice; Creativity, Action and Service (CAS), which, as the name implies, acts as a counterbalance to the academic rigor of the demanding class work; and Theory of Knowledge (TOK), a mandatory course which encourages students to explore various approaches to the theory behind and application of logic and knowledge.
Of course, the IB Programs also serves to effectively prepare students for college. In Plumadore’s words, “It’s not just about getting into college but also doing well in college.”

One of the most common concerns interested students have is the alleged lack of interactivity with the rest of the school, yet this is actually far from the case. The common image is that of IB students being stuck together for the entire school day; in actuality, only core classes such as history, English, and Theory of Knowledge include the entire IB class, as the rest of the student’s schedule is dependent on his or her electives. Additionally, this sort of close-knit learning community helps the students to form a “little support family” which oftentimes lasts well into the students’ college years.

Unfortunately, the program does have its limitations. Certain courses students have shown interest in, such as Chemistry, German Language, Business and Management, and Design Technology, are presently unavailable due to a lack of sufficient funding.

Another factor to consider is the recent implementation of the four Academies. It’s difficult to say as of now what effect the Academies will have on the program, as upperclassmen (especially twelfth graders) are relatively unaffected by the Academies in the first place. However, the Academies may indeed change the program in the coming years.

At any rate, the opportunities available to IB students are infinite. The program is one of the many ways in which Albany High School promises its students “one great education”.