Welcome to South Iredell’s International Studies Programme

1. Welcome to South Iredell’sInternational Studies Programme the fastest growing international educational programmein the Southeastern United States! Michael Thier DP Coordinator Cam Downing MYP Coordinator

2. Diversity Our students • were born in 23 U.S. states and 8 countries • have parents born in 22 countries • use 21 faiths to describe how they worship. • speak 20 languages in addition to English in their homes.

3. High rates of acceptance • 97% acceptance rate • 27 colleges in 14 states, plus Senegal (with only 18 percent of decisions received) • Potentially 30 colleges will accept their first Iredell student this year; 1 might be first from the U.S. to her school • District highs in percentages for Governor’s School and N.C. Summer Ventures nominees plus acceptances to the N.C. School of Science and Math

4. A global stage • Study offers in Costa Rica, France, India, Japan, Morocco, South Korea and the United Kingdom and humanitarian missions to Mexico, Peru and Uganda • 10 presenters at the 2012 World View conference • high-school presenter at American Physics Society • 10 students playing with co-founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

5. Award winners • Wendy’s H.S. Heisman Finalist • 12 National Merit qualifiers • 8 Eagle Scouts and 4 Gold Awards • 8 position paper awards at Lenoir-Rhyne'sPangea Model U.N. conference • 6 Youth and Government bills selected at Raleigh Conference • 2 Oro Awards for National Spanish exam (35 other awards) • 2 Odyssey of the Mind world qualifiers • first-place SPIE Optics and Photonics award at N.C. state science fair • a district chess tournament champion and the runner-up

6. Academic, athletic and social success • 100% of our students were proficient on all End-of-Course exams with unprecedented four perfect scores on English I • Last two freshman class presidents: Sam Freeman (MM alumna) and Andrew Wilson (NV alumnus) • Creation of Arabic Club, Debate Club, Youth & Government

7. Athletics: 66.4% play at least one sport • Football (14-1): first state champions in Iredell history • Boys’ Soccer (20-2-2): 4th round of state playoffs, losing on penalty kicks • Girls’ Volleyball (21-6): 4th round of state playoffs • Wrestling coach Bill Mayhew has won more matches than any high school coach in America. • Cheerleading Team of the Year • Golfer Morgan Deal competed in the state tournament.

8. 19 benefits of MYP International-Mindedness and The Paradigm Shift from learning content to using content to grow:

9. Personal Project A reflection of a student’s ability to manage and direct their own inquiry and a reflection of the skills learned through the MYP experience. • Opportunity for students to produce a truly personal piece of work of their choice. • 80% process and 20% product • Should be based on a passion that your student has, which will ultimately lead them through a journey of understanding how they work and respond to a given task. If you have questions, please visit Amber Horn’s webpage.

10. Why MYP works in Grades 6-10 • treats learning as a process, not a product • based on the notion that Middle Years are not a three-year proposition • demands teachers design student-centered approaches to individuals through various lenses and methods  students become “makers of meaning” and problem-solvers • focuses on 21st-century skill acquisition, real-life experiences and deep understanding over rote • esteems critical thinking (Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation) • pushes beyond perceived comfort zones

11. Reasons to be “All In” for DP (11-12) • Intellectual confidence  tackling most rigorous course of study available (98% college-ready) • Intellectual curiosity  creates critical thinkers lifelong learners (79% for post-bac study) • Intercultural understanding  exposure to variety of viewpoints, provocative thinking • Enables students to make wise choices • Increased acceptance and scholarship rates at most universities in U.S. and World (the cherry on the top of a very large sundae)

12. University of Florida showed that IB students suffered less college “shock” than their non-IB peers in percentage drop of high-school grades. College prep dropped 28%. A.P. students dropped 21%. IB students dropped 13%.

13. College of William & Mary DP students consistently have higher G.P.A.sthan the average of their non-IB peers.

14. Virginia Tech compared Student performance at Virginia Tech indicates that important positive attitudes toward learning are developed at IB high schools. These attitudes seem to apply even to students outside the IB programmes. students who simply attended schools that had IB programmesand found that the IB environment created this stark of a contrast. Comparing student populations with G.P.A.s above 3.0 (a standard B)

15. Why American parents choose DP South Side H.S. (Rockville Centre, N.Y.): 100 percent of its DP graduates completed their college degrees in four or less years compared to 39 percent as a national average. Only 54 percent of American college students complete their college degrees within six years (Chronicle of Higher Education). Employees of the next two decades must have “the ability to process and evaluate knowledge not just acquire it . . . Universities and employers are increasingly seeking to attract globally aware, adaptable learners who are able to apply and transfer their skills and knowledge to new contexts” (Towards a Continuum of International Education).

16. Please ask questions. • Michael Thier 704.902.5221 mthier@iss.k12.nc.us • Cam Downing 704.528.4536 carolyn_downing@iss.k12.nc.us