Happy Holidays? (Part 1: NOT)

As we all know, the holidays are almost here.

The students at my school are already literally buzzing with excitement.
Well, half of that excitement just died today.

I go to a school named Myers Park High. On November the 8th, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education voted to move the IB (International Baccalaureate) program feeder schools to East Mecklenburg and Harding High schools, which both also have IB programs.

For those of you who don't know what IB is, it's an international program that "is motivated by a mission to create a better world through education." It's divided into three programs-- the Primary Years Program (from ages 3-12), the Middle Years Program (from ages 13-15) and the IB Diploma Program (from ages 16-19). Myers Park had the first Middle Years Program in North America, and the first IB Program in North Carolina.

Our school's IB program helps run the school--we organize fundraisers, events, community service, and most, if not all, students participate on some kind of extracurricular team or club: for example, athletics, musical groups, etc. The IB program attracts hardworking students from all over the school district. Fortunately, I'm in the Myers Park zone, so I don't have as long a commute as many of the others.

Well, today, the CMS Board of Education voted to take the IB program away from those who don't live in the Myers Park zone. Which is most of the IB students--around 500 kids. With a little under 200 (I think around 160), Myers Park is left with a mostly highly endangered IB, which will probably be phased out for inefficiency in the future. To have an IB program of only 160 kids is not a very good idea.

They said that they voted to do so because Myers Park was overcrowded, and because East Meck was under populated. (Myers Park is actually not overcrowded-- it has over 63 acres of land and 13 buildings, which supports our population of around 3,000 students well)

So, while a lot of my friends get moved back to their home schools, or opt to go to East Mecklenburg or Harding IB (I haven't heard of many who are planning to), I get to look forward to the upcoming holidays.

Happy holidays?