On Thursday evening Kokomo High School is celebrating its International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program students.
From 5-7 p.m., approximately 125 10th-graders in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program at KHS will present their Personal Projects throughout the high school, according to a school news release.
Kokomo High School is a partner school with Central Middle International School in offering the IB Middle Years Program from grades 6 through 10, with an aim of developing Internationally minded students.
The Personal Project is the culminating activity for students in year five of MYP. The IB students have an opportunity to explore topics they are passionate about, while developing products and/or projects that allow the students to express themselves creatively. The Personal Project is a way for students to demonstrate what they have learned in the MYP program, both in their subjects and in their approaches to learning.
As part of the Personal Project, students are required to select an idea, research that idea, and develop that project. While the IB students work with a school IB supervisor, the bulk of the project is completed outside of school hours. Students record their activity in a process journal and write an essay concerning their research and product.
The 2020 projects include Genetic Issues in Dogs, the Logistics of Contortion, WWII Restoration Project, Environmental Awareness Through Music, Computer Build, Injuries in Professional Wrestling, Coding in C#, Songwriting and Recording, Galaxy Collision, Artistic Expression of Rocks and Minerals, Music Therapy for Children, Vegetarian Cookbook, Refugee Diets among other topics.
Leslie Lewis, who teaches English in the Middle Years Program at KHS, enjoys watching students develop their Personal Projects.
“The experience benefits students by allowing them to explore a topic they are passionate about, while using the IB Learner Profiles they have honed during their five years in the Middle Years Program,” Ms. Lewis explained. “The Personal Projects offer students tangible evidence that the IB model works. This program challenges both teachers and students to be internationally minded, while developing students who have the confidence to tackle rigorous course work.”
