High School Decisions
The county we're in is quite large, and fortunately there is quite a bit of choice for high schools. There are 22 high schools and probably 90% of them offer some sort of magnet or optional program for kids to choose.
Anyway, we were able to narrow K's choices down to two schools and we went to the "Incoming Freshmen Open House" last night at one of them. Oddly, it's a school we hadn't even considered until about a month ago, and we're now thinking it's probably the best fit for him. They have a program that's even higher than the advanced program/gifted and talented called International Baccalaureate (IB) - that diploma is recognized at colleges and universities throughout the world. Pretty awesome. Their entire curriculum is college prep, there's no "well, maybe you'll go to tech school" or whatever option. Not that every kid does go to college, just that that is the focus of the entire school. They also said that their graduating class last year of 200 seniors had amassed a total of $2.5 mil in college scholarships before graduation! That's quite impressive, and what parents want to hear, of course.
Oh yeah, the IB program includes tests at the end of the senior year which can qualify the kid for college credit as well, so that's another positive it has going for it. The one main downfall of the IB program is that K would have to completely forego chorus as a junior if he follows the full IB program, simply because there is no time in the schedule for a "regular" elective. He'd be able to pick it back up as a senior, though, so that's a good thing.
Monday is the open house for the other school we're considering. They have an Math Science Technology magnet, High School University magnet, they're the "main" school for the performing arts academy, etc. We'll see how that goes and where K decides to apply. Application process starts Nov 1 - if we get the app to the school board that day, we'll have more time to work on the school specific applications that will come after.
Anyway, we were able to narrow K's choices down to two schools and we went to the "Incoming Freshmen Open House" last night at one of them. Oddly, it's a school we hadn't even considered until about a month ago, and we're now thinking it's probably the best fit for him. They have a program that's even higher than the advanced program/gifted and talented called International Baccalaureate (IB) - that diploma is recognized at colleges and universities throughout the world. Pretty awesome. Their entire curriculum is college prep, there's no "well, maybe you'll go to tech school" or whatever option. Not that every kid does go to college, just that that is the focus of the entire school. They also said that their graduating class last year of 200 seniors had amassed a total of $2.5 mil in college scholarships before graduation! That's quite impressive, and what parents want to hear, of course.
Oh yeah, the IB program includes tests at the end of the senior year which can qualify the kid for college credit as well, so that's another positive it has going for it. The one main downfall of the IB program is that K would have to completely forego chorus as a junior if he follows the full IB program, simply because there is no time in the schedule for a "regular" elective. He'd be able to pick it back up as a senior, though, so that's a good thing.
Monday is the open house for the other school we're considering. They have an Math Science Technology magnet, High School University magnet, they're the "main" school for the performing arts academy, etc. We'll see how that goes and where K decides to apply. Application process starts Nov 1 - if we get the app to the school board that day, we'll have more time to work on the school specific applications that will come after.