The International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma graduates of 2010 revisited AHS for a ceremony in their honor on Jan. 6. The event was held in the auditorium during the whole Flex period. The graduates along with the proud parents sat in the front rows, directly in front of the current IB diploma candidates and the IB Middle Years Program (IB-MYP) sophomores. A pannell of about eight of these former AHS students  recounted their experiences, advising their peers about managing the mounds of homework, Theory of Knowledge (TOK) essays, community service hours (CAS) and the Extended Essay.

According to IB coordinator Shirley Campbell, the program is “the most rigorous level of coursework at the secondary level.” So one can imagine that current IB diploma candidates are eager to finally graduate and rid themselves of the stress that comes with the territory. However, when they actually do complete it, do they believe that their hard work and effort will pay off?

This question was answered firsthand by former IB candidates. Claudia Arevalo Villarroel, who studies at Brown University and is the official Diploma Program representative for the class of 2010 at AHS said IB made her “a more confident and open-minded person.”

The IB program “helps you see many different perspectives, helps you get ahead of people in college and is a great experience once you get done with it,” graduate Mahrokh Akhavan Malayeri, who now attends George Mason University, said.

Juniors and seniors who are currently taking IB classes or going for the full diploma have taken what they heard at the ceremony to heart. “The graduates’ words of wisdom have put me in place and locked me down to strive for my IB diploma,” junior Annette Janwatin said.

Contrary to popular belief, IB students can maintain a social life; they just have to learn to keep a balance. “Make an effort to have a life and keep your tasks and social life separate,” graduate Christopher Sheehy, who studies at James Madison University, said. “Make time for your friends like you make time for your work.”

During the second half of Flex, the ceremony transitioned from remarks by the IB graduates to the distribution of awards. To begin the ceremony, brief speeches given by some of the program’s coordinators. CAS coordinator Meredith Hedrick spoke briefly about how IB students “embody the learner profile and the spirit of IB itself.”

“The reason that anybody in the world cares about IB is in the first word of it: International,” TOK instructor John Hawes said. “It’s about being ready for change in the world…and in the 21st century.”

The IB program is “a personal and academic examination,” according to Extended Essay coordinator Mary Ann Richardson. The students “need to think under pressure, which will create leaders for the future; that’s what the IB diploma program produces.”

Finally, Principal John Ponton introduced the IB diploma graduates of 2010, who were then called up one by one to the stage to receive their certificate. The whole ceremony had a generally positive effect on the current IB students. “It gave me more confidence in IB,” senior Olivia Ko said. “If these students can get through the whole diploma, then I can get through my IB classes.”

After the awards ceremony, the reception took place in Clausen Hall where the graduates, their parents and teachers socialized while having cake and punch prepared by the Culinary Arts students. Teachers met the parents of their former students; parents became acquainted with one another; and the graduates got to catch up with their former classmates whom they may not have seen since last June. It was a “truly auspicious occasion,” Administrator Vincent Randazzo said.

The former IB students faced a choice to either “step forward with confidence or step back with fear,” said Richardson. They all undertook the first option, and that has made all the difference in their lives.