In a triumphant event held on Friday, Jan. 7, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma candidates from the 2022-23 school year returned to the Meridian High School auditorium to receive their IB diplomas. While the college freshmen received word that they were awarded the prestigious degree in early July, it was not until this past week that they were officially celebrated for their accomplishments.
The IB diploma is known as one of the most rigorous high school diploma programs students can participate in. Candidates undergo a challenging two-year course of study, engaging in a diverse range of subjects, completing the demanding Extended Essay, participating in Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects, and navigating the complexities of Theory of Knowledge (TOK).
School administrators, teachers, and parents gathered to applaud the accomplishments of the former MHS students, who had successfully navigated the IB’s academic challenges. Out of the 62 students who began the program at the beginning of their junior year, only 44 students finished with the diploma.
The ceremony was opened with a speech from George Mason graduate Pete Davis from the class of 2008. An IB diploma candidate himself, Davis shared how the program impacted his life after high school. He spoke passionately about the valuable skills he gained through the IB Diploma Program (DP), emphasizing how everyone has the potential to prosper after high school.
One message that echoed throughout the ceremony was that the IB diploma is not only a symbol of academic achievement but a powerful tool to bring positive change to the world. The graduates were encouraged to embrace challenges, think critically about global issues, and use the skills they learned throughout the program for good.
Later in the ceremony, a group of six students who received the IB diploma were invited on stage to participate in a forum, MC’d by seniors, Sean Lewin and Lexi Ries. The graduates were asked six questions and took a moment to reflect on the personal growth and resilience that the DP instilled in them.
All the IB alums shared that from their experience they all thought that doing the IB diploma was worth it. The alumni had reasons of their own, yet they all referred back to how much the program prepared them in their transition to university coursework.
The graduates were asked to rank their junior year, senior year, and first semester of college, in terms of difficulty. Each of them mentioned their experience in the DP as one of the most challenging, even compared to their first semesters of university.
The graduates stressed how their participation in the DP aided in their preparation for college. Whether it be writing a 10 plus page essay or regular workload management, they said that the IB diploma process helped them in their readiness for their college courses.
As the ceremony drew to a close, the graduates were all asked to reflect upon whether they would embark on the IB challenge again. This left many in the audience, including sophomore, Louise Meade, thinking about their possible futures embarking on that same IB path.
“Thinking about all the future stress I would have to go through and how much I would have to miss out on in my high school years, doesn’t seem worth it for a program to me,” Meade said.
Students left the auditorium with a vivid picture of what it would be like if they chose to pursue the IB diploma. Now, it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to take the challenge.
