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International Baccalaureate
at Bartow High School
A Short History of the IB School at Bartow High School
Led by former School Board member Nancy Simmons, educators and members of the
Polk County community began to look for a way to challenge the county's high
school students who were looking for alternatives to an AP/Honors Program. The
International Baccalaureate Program was determined to be an option worth
considering. In 1993, the School Board approved the IB concept and selected
Bartow High School as the site for the new school. With support from the Bartow
Chamber of Commerce Education Task Force, Assistant Superintendent Robert
Helmick, Dr. Edwin A. Vetter, then Gifted Coordinator for Polk County Schools,
John Stewart, then Superintendent of Schools, the Bartow business community and
groups such as P.A.G.E. (Parents for Able-Learner & Gifted Education), the
School Board gave final budget approval for the program at its January 24, 1995
meeting. Under the direction of Dr. Edwin A. Vetter, Principal and Dr. Louise
Katz, Curriculum Specialist and IB Guidance Counselor, the first class of ninth
grade Pre-IB students entered the program in August 1995. In July, 1996 the
school earned approval from the IBO, and graduated its Charter Class in
1999.
The addition of the International Baccalaureate School adds to the already
rich heritage of Bartow High School which traces its beginnings to the first
school in Bartow.
You can e-mail us at ibatbhs@gate.net. We appreciate Polk.Net at http://www.polknet.com for the donation of this website.
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