Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School
Address
6100 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL United States
Information
Type	Public/Magnet
Motto	Secan, Scearu, Findan
Established	1973
School board	Jefferson County School System
Principal	Dr. April Lufkin Miller
Faculty	22
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	363
Student to teacher ratio	17:1
Campus type	Suburban
Mascot	"We Try to be Different" Tree
Website	Jefferson County IB School

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School (JCIB) is a public International Baccalaureate school located on the campus of Shades Valley High School in Irondale, Alabama. The school enrolls 363 students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Jefferson County School System. It is consistently recognized as one of the best high schools in the country:

• JCIB was ranked first in Alabama and 8th in the U.S. in the 2016 Washington Post study of America's Most Challenging High Schools.^[1]
• The Daily Beast ranked JCIB first in Alabama and 13th in the U.S. in its 2014 Top High Schools ranking.^[2]
• In 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 JCIB was ranked #1, #2, #4, and #3 respectively in the annual Newsweek poll of "The 100 Best High Schools in America".^[3]

Student profile

JCIB students are not very diverse: 58% are white, 31% are African-American, 7% are Asian-American, and 4% are Hispanic. 15% of students qualified for free or reduced price lunch.^[4]

Almost 100% of JCIB students graduate and go on to attend four-year colleges and universities.^[5] The most recent graduating class earned over $10 million in college scholarships, an average of approximately $170,000 per student.^[6] Over the past four years, graduates have attended a variety of universities, among which were the following:^[7]

Agnes Scott College Auburn University Berry College Birmingham-Southern College Brigham Young University California Institute of Technology Columbia University Duke University Emory University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Howard University Iowa State University Loyola University New Orleans Massachusetts Institute of Technology North Carolina State University Oglethorpe University Princeton University Rhodes College

Samford University Savannah College of Art & Design Sewanee, The University of the South Spring Hill College Tulane University Tuskegee University United States Coast Guard Academy United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy University of Alabama University of Georgia University of Illinois University of Miami University of North Carolina University of Texas University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Washington University in St. Louis

The most recent graduating class includes three National Merit & Achievement Finalists, 52 AP Scholars, 16 AP Scholars with Honor, 33 AP Scholars with Distinction, and three AP National Scholars.^[8]

Admission

Students must apply to JCIB during the spring prior to the year of anticipated enrollment. The application requires students to submit a transcript and test scores from their current schools, recommendations from both a mathematics and language arts instructor, and an application essay. Students are also strongly encouraged to attend an open house and/or shadow a student prior to applying.^[9]

Curriculum

AP & IB Courses

All academic courses at JCIB are taught at an accelerated pace. Many courses prepare students for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Exams. Students choose from among the following AP and IB courses:

Biology (AP and IB) Calculus (AP and IB) Chemistry (AP and IB) Computer Science (AP) English Language & Composition (AP) English Literature & Composition (AP) Environmental Science (AP and IB) French (AP and IB) German (AP and IB) Human Geography (AP and IB) Macroeconomics (AP) Microeconomics (AP)

Modern European History (AP) Music Theory (AP) Physics (AP) Psychology (AP and IB) Spanish (AP and IB) Statistics (AP) Studio Art (AP and IB) Theater (IB) Theory of Knowledge (IB) US Government & Politics (AP) US History (AP and IB) World Literature (IB)

While all students are required to take a rigorous curriculum that includes both AP and IB coursework, students may choose whether to work toward earning an IB diploma. Approximately 72% of the 2014 graduating class received an IB diploma.^[10]

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) Work/Study Program

Beginning in 11th grade, JCIB's students participate in a work-study program every Wednesday afternoon. Students choose whether to take on an unpaid internship in a career area of interest, volunteer for a nonprofit organization, or perform some other community service. These hours contribute to the 150 CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) hours that are required in order to receive the IB diploma. All students participate in the CAS program, even if they do not pursue the IB diploma.

IB Extended Essay

Students are required to write a 4,000-word extended essay on a topic of their choosing. The extended essay introduces students to the independent research and writing skills that will be necessary to succeed at top colleges and universities. Students choose research questions across a variety of subjects and work closely with JCIB faculty in executing their research and writing the essay.

Faculty

JCIB shares staff with Shades Valley High School, but has its own faculty for the core curriculum subjects of English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The student/faculty ratio is 14:1. Twenty-one of the school's teachers have a master's degree and one has a doctorate. Nine JCIB teachers are nationally board certified. Average teacher experience is 18 years.^[11]

Student activities

• JCIB Honor Societies, including National Honor Society, National Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Forensics League, and honor societies for foreign language, English, science, and art
• JCIB Academic Competition Teams, including debate, math, scholars bowl, and science olympiad

References

1. "National Schools - The Washington Post". apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
2. Beast, The Daily. "America's Top High Schools 2014". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
3. Kantrowitz, Barbara; Julie Scelfo; William Lee Adams (2006-05-23). "The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools". Newsweek. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
4. "Jefferson County IB - The Washington Post". apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
5. "Shades Valley High -". Shades Valley High. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
6. "Jefferson County International Baccalaureate, Center Point High lead county schools in scholarships (slideshow)". Retrieved 2015-09-02.
7. "Where do We Go?" (PDF).
8. "Shades Valley High -". Shades Valley High. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
9. "JCIB Catalog" (PDF).
10. "Shades Valley High -". Shades Valley High. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
11. "Shades Valley High -". Shades Valley High. Retrieved 2015-09-02.

External links

• Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School website

Coordinates: 33°32′32″N 86°40′02″W / 33.54216°N 86.66720°W