Youth
www.GilbertSunNews.com
November 2015
Charter school receives International Baccalaureate distinction BY TRACY HOUSE
Eduprize Gilbert was the first charter school in Arizona, but now it’s notable for another reason. The Eduprize Gilbert High School campus recently achieved International Baccalaureate (IB) approval. “This means that the teachers, effective immediately, will be integrating the IB curriculum into their curriculum and focusing on making the kids successful in a world economy and better citizens and accepting of cultures and other ideas, and becoming a world student,” said Robin Dean, vice president of Eduprize’s Parent Teacher Alianza. EGH becomes the first IB school in Gilbert, and the first charter school in Arizona to achieve this. There are only 21 schools in the state offering the IB curriculum. There are about 1,850 students in kindergarten through 11th grade attending EGH, with about 100 students in grades nine through 11 high school. The Diploma Programme starts junior year, and six of the 28 juniors are pursuing the IB diploma. While it has been a three-year process, Scott Greenhalgh, IB coordinator for EGH, said, “It’s been two years of intense work to get to this point. IB wants to make sure we understand and embrace what it
means to be an IB world school.” Principal Charles Green said it was easy to get onboard with the IB program. “It really follows the Eduprize philosophy of providing students with a well-rounded, real-world education.” Greenhalgh said he anticipates the number of students taking IB courses to increase as the program continues. “We’re excited about what it can do for kids,” he said. “It affects the culture of our school,” Green said. “Everything we do is aiming toward the IB philosophy. That worldmindedness, being able to think about things in a positive way. That growth mindset. That’s what we’re trying to instill in all the kids.” Recently, teachers and students came together to celebrate the IB distinction and were honored by a surprise guest, Mayor John Lewis. “From an international perspective it is a great thing to learn about different cultures and what’s happening in the world, to be aware of it, and what you can be doing to make a difference,” he said. Lewis officially congratulated the school and spoke about the significance of having an IB school in Gilbert. He said it is an honor for the city, calling Eduprize a
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special place. “The No. 1 reason I think families come to Gilbert is education,” Lewis said. “From a Gilbert perspective, (EGH) has just
added another great asset, International Baccalaureate, right here in one of the finest schools, our first charter school in Arizona.”
Mayor John Lewis, shown here with the Eduprize Choir, surprised faculty and students by attending the celebration for the school’s approval as a International Baccalaureate school. GSN photo by Tracy House.
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