Somers High School underclassmen to be eligible for IB ‘programme’

SOMERS, N.Y. - Freshmen and sophomores at Somers High School will soon be able to officially take part in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization’s Middle Years Programme (MYP), the school district announced last week.

In 2023, Somers Middle School was authorized as an IB “World School,” meaning that it could offer sixth through eighth graders the MYP learning framework established by the worldwide nonprofit.

It took three years of hard work to achieve that feat.

At the time, Somers High School already had an IB Diploma Programme, a rigorous, academically challenging initiative designed to prepare 11th- and 12th-graders for success in college and career.

The high school applied for MYP status, meaning the program would be extended to the ninth and 10th grades.

“With the International Baccalaureate Organization’s affirmation, we are part of a widely recognized, international professional learning community,” said Interim Superintendent Harry LeFevre.

“That is only going to help us get stronger and build upon what has been created by the dedicated team at Somers High School, supported by the Board of Education,” he added.

Lest there be any confusion, the IBO’s offerings are categorized by age.

For instance, the MYP is for students aged 11 to 16 and its IB Diploma Programme, for students aged 16 to 19.

Prior to its official authorization, the MYP framework had already been utilized in the ninth through 10th grades.

(As of October 2024, more than 8,000 IB programmes were being offered in 5,900 schools in more than 160 countries, according to ibo.org.)

The high school was informed last week that it had met the IBO’s requirements for authorization as an official MYP school. The district then signed a statement of acceptance.

The MYP builds on Somers’s educational approach, which values “inquiry-based, child-centered learning,” the district said.

With the IB approach, students take an active role in their learning with “Approaches to Learning” skills, namely: thinking, research, and communication, as well as social- and self-management. 

“Students over time develop sophisticated and clear knowledge of how they learn best and are encouraged to co-construct their learning alongside their teachers,” said English teacher Erin Stewart, the high school’s MYP coordinator.