Meet LPS Focus Program Scholar: Anya, International Baccalaureate (IB)

Lincoln Public Schools Focus Programs are a customized high school experience rooted in connection and opportunities. 

LPS offers almost a dozen focus programs for our scholars, like Lincoln High School senior Anya, to choose their journeys. Anya learned about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Lincoln High when her family moved to Lincoln in 2019. Believing it would be a great stepping stone for college, she joined the program allowing her to explore her interests like music and math more in-depth. 

Read more about Anya’s IB experience in this Q&A as she is one of March’s featured Focus Program Scholars. 

Name: Anya

Home High School: Lincoln High School

Grade: 12

Focus Program: International Baccalaureate (IB) at Lincoln High 

Why did you choose the IB Focus Program?

I chose the IB Program because I wanted a challenging education with college preparation. 

What do you like most about the IB Focus Program?

What I liked most about the IB Program was the challenging, unique and interesting material, along with the skill-building and the helpful staff. We learn about real-world and current local and global situations.

What makes the IB Focus Program different?

The material, the smaller  – but not completely cut-off  –  community, and the emphasis on writing essays distinguish the IB Program.

How do you get to explore your passions or interests at the IB Program?

The IB courses dive deep into many different subject areas.  

I play the piano, so I joined the IB music class, which taught me about music all over the globe along with how to compose and analyze music effectively. There are other art classes such as IB art and IB theater. 

I also love mathematics, so I took the IB high-level math course, which allowed me to view math in another lens beyond just memorizing formulas. There are three IB math classes to choose from, along with multiple science courses. 

How has attending the IB Focus Program empowered you as a student?

The IB Program empowered me as a student by making me more confident in my academic and social ability by improving problem-solving skills, showing me what college life and organization may feel like, learning to improve my time management, articulating my thoughts, understanding epistemological thought and learning to write powerful essays. 

What are your relationships with other students and staff like at the IB Program?

My relationships with other students are fulfilling. There are students who are willing to help and/or collaborate with material.  

How has being a part of a LPS Focus Program added to your high school experience?

Everyone’s high school experience and goals are different. I wanted to learn about real-world ideas and problems, practice higher-level thinking and have a social community. The IB Program allowed me to meet these goals, as they are strongly encouraged. 

How has the IB Program prepared you for the future?

The IB Program prepared me for the future by showing me what college may look like. As difficult as the program was at times, I’m grateful that I overcame those challenges and acquired some skills now instead of my freshman year of college. That way when challenges appear in college, I am far more prepared. 

While the IB Program is very useful for college preparation, if a student decides that they don’t want to go to college after high school, they will be able to think in creative ways and have structure in their time.

  

Why are focus programs like the IB Focus Program important to high school students?

You can’t get these programs everywhere. It’s another opportunity for teenagers to improve their education and make them strong candidates for college. 

What is the greatest thing you’ve learned since attending the IB Focus Program? 

Some of the greatest things I’ve learned in the IB Program are learning to understand and synthesize cause and effect, absolutely broadening my perspective of the world that many grow up with, the causes of events in early human history and synthesizing and hypothesizing my own ideas. The IB history courses are very comprehensive. I wasn’t really a “history person” until I took pre-IB and IB history courses. 

Choose your passion. Choose your community. Choose your future with LPS Focus Programs. 

Learn more about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Lincoln High by visiting its website at https://home.lps.org/ib/.

Don’t forget to also explore LPS Focus Programs by looking at upcoming events at home.lps.org/focus. 

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