Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School (JCIB) is a public International Baccalaureate school located on the campus of Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama (USA) in Jefferson County. The school enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Jefferson County Board of Education school system.

Previously known as the Resource Learning Center, Shades Valley Annex, JCIB now consists of approximately 325 students from around the county. Students must meet academic and behavioral requirements before being admitted to the school. After tenth grade, students take mainly Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and examinations.

Faculty

JCIB shares staff with Shades Valley High School, but has its own 17-member faculty for the core curriculum subjects of English, Math, Science and Social Studies. The head of JCIB, Ms. Linda Jones, presides over the seventeen IB teachers as well as performing many other vital functions for the school. She sends out high school transcripts for every one of her seniors, runs the bus program at Shades Valley, handles discipline issues, and creates the scheduling for the entire IB school minus the Technical Academy.

Work-Study

Beginning in 11th grade, JCIB's students participate in a work-study program every Wednesday afternoon. Students are able to choose their preferred work-study sites, where they work at least three hours a week. These hours will contribute to the 150 CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) hours that are required in order to receive the IB diploma.

Extended Essay

As candidates of the International Baccalaureate diploma, 12th grade students must complete a 4000-word extended essay. Topics are entirely chosen by students themselves but must be categorized accordingly to the IB extended essay curriculum. Populuar essay categories include history, religion, philosophy, peace and conflict, etc.

Honors

In 2005, 2006, and 2007 JCIB was ranked #1, #2, and #4 respectively in the annual "Newsweek" poll of "The 100 Best High Schools in America".cite news | first=Barbara | last=Kantrowitz | coauthors=Julie Scelfo, William Lee Adams | title=The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/ | work=Newsweek | page=1 | date=2006-05-23 | accessdate=2007-04-25 ] "Newsweek"'s formula, devised by Senior Contributing Editor Jay Matthews, divides the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests taken by the number of students, favoring schools such as JCIB which offer only college-level classes. In justifying his formula, Matthews said, "Kids are getting out of high school, having taken 10 or 11 college-level courses and tests. They're just about as ready for college as you can be".The school was honored by Governor Bob Riley, who declared 14 May 2005 "Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School Day". A special ceremony was held in the auditorium on the campus of Shades Valley High School. In 2008, JCIB was named by Newsweek as an "Elite School," meaning that its average SAT and ACT scores showed that the school was too good to be included on the normal "Newsweek Top Public High Schools" list. The JCIB Class of 2008 obtained more than $11 million in scholarships.

Publications

"Counterpane" is an annual arts and literature magazine produced by the students. JCIB students participate by taking the Creative Writing/Counterpane class, which is an elective. They are divided into the layout, art, finance, and literature staffs. Throughout the year, staff members decide which pieces submitted by JCIB and SVHS students will make the cut and be published in the magazine.

References

External links

* [http://www.shadesvalley.com/ Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School] website
* [http://www.newsweek.com/id/137421 Newsweek's 2008 Public Elites List]