International Baccalaureate Program

The International Baccalaureate Program available at Saint John High School is recognized throughout the world as a comprehensive and challenging high school curriculum. It is designed for the student who values excellence and is willing to persevere in meeting the challenges it demands.

The IB program is an international university entrance program which is typically completed in the final two years of high school. Prospective students of the IB program are enrolled in preparatory courses during their grade 10 year.

Since 1987, Saint John High School graduates of the IB program have gone to university where they have performed exceptionally well. We know from their experience that IB is responsible in large measure for their success. These students have, in the words of IB, “learned how to learn.”

FAQ

The IB curriculum consists of six subject groups:

  • Language A: Studies in Language and Literature – English Literature or English Language & Literature
  • Language B: Language Acquisition – French
  • Individuals and Societies – History of Europe; Economics; Digital Society
  • Experimental Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Systems & Societies, Physics. One science is required for Diploma, although many students do two.
  • Mathematics Analysis and Approaches
  • Art and Electives – Music, Visual Art, or another course from groups 3 or 4

No. Students who wish to complete the IB Diploma must take one course from each of the six groups above plus additional core components, but not all students chose to do the full program. Students who take one or more IB courses in grades 11 and 12 are Course students.

Students interested in the IB program at Saint John High begin with a preparatory year in grade 10 when they take a full range of courses as their foundation for the IB Diploma in grades 11 and 12.  Some students may choose to do only part of this program. The grade 10 preparatory courses are SJHS designated as IB English 10, IB Social Studies 10 / IB FI Social Studies 10, IB Math 10, IB Cultural Foundations 10 / IB FI Cultural Foundations 10, IB Math 111, IB Biology 111, IB Chemistry 111.

Yes. French Immersion students can satisfy their required FI hours through the Social Studies, Math, and FI Language Arts courses within the IB program.

Results for IB May exams become available online in early July.  The IB coordinator will give each student personal codes and PIN numbers to use to get access to their results online.  Then, in late August, the actual IB Diploma and Certificate documents arrive at the school.  The first day teachers are back in August, the school holds a small ceremony to distribute IB Diplomas and Certificates. Students or their representatives can pick up their documents then or any time thereafter from the IB coordinator.

Students may request that their IB results be sent directly to their post-secondary institution of choice.  Those requests are to be made to the school’s IB coordinator by the end of the school year.  After that, graduates will need to contact IB directly at https://candidates.ibo.org. Personal codes and PIN numbers are required and can be got from the school’s IB coordinator.

Setting high goals academically and attempting to achieve a world standard of excellence certainly can be challenging, but there are benefits. The demand of more work encourages students to develop better work habits and to manage their time more efficiently – skills that will serve them well in post-secondary. IB students frequently tell us that the skills of critical and analytical thinking, of research and writing, and of disciplined study make their transition high school to university much easier. The breadth of the IB program leads many to a wider range of options at university. They all tell us that “the IB gave me the confidence of knowing that I can handle anything”.

Students concerned about this question should ask themselves, “Are the friends I have now likely to be the friends I have in grade 12 or in university?” The answer, if you ask students currently in the school, is “no”. Our friends change as our interests change. Students in the IB program frequently become friends with other students with whom they work. Our experience has led us to observe that frequently the type of student who comes into the IB program is very independent-minded and used to setting goals for themselves.

Many students fear that they will do nothing but study if they take harder courses in high school. In fact, there is an extra-curricular component of the IB program that requires students to engage in a variety of activities which often allows them to meet other like-minded people.  Often, IB students are leaders in our school community from participating in sports to drama and the arts to clubs and student council.

Transfers to SJHS are handled via the Anglophone School District South – Director of Schools for the SJEC.  Please call 506 658 5300 for more information.