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Partly Cloudy South Side Middle School becomes IB school
South Side Middle School has become the newest member of schools offering the International Baccalaureate program.
Students will now be part of the Middle Years Programme in grades 6 through 8 beginning in September.
“We wanted to offer our students a holistic education which will instill in them the skills, knowledge and outlook to succeed in the 21st century, both in their local community and in the wider world,” said Shelagh McGinn, SSMS principal. “At the same time, we wanted to give our teachers the opportunity to be a part of an international network of experts leading the field in education. Through the Middle Years Programme, we will continue to offer students the opportunity to engage in inquiry learning, service program and further develop their learning styles, but now with a greater emphasis on the students’ involvement in the community and the world at large.
Getting SSMS into the Middle Years Programme (MYP) is something that has been in the works for the last 15 years, McGinn said. It was delayed because of numerous factors, but was taken up again with gusto two years ago.
The school spent two years as a candidate school, and was evaluated in April by the IB to see if it would be included in the programme. A month later — much earlier than anticipated — they were notified of their acceptance.
Adding the MYP to the middle school will affect every class in South Side. All subjects and students will be part of the program, creating a variety of interdisciplinary opportunities for teachers and students alike.
The program will take what South Side already does with students and delve deeper, getting them to think more critically about things and question more. “It’s a far richer discussion,” McGinn said. “Richer writing. Richer inquiry.”
“That South Side Middle School has now successfully completed the authorization process and can now start offering the IB marks an exciting time for South Side Middle School and, more importantly, for the students who will benefit from an IB education,” said Drew Deutsch, director of IB America.
