Pacetti Bay Middle School Principal Sue Sparkman announced last week the school was awarded the renowned International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program designation following a stringent and lengthy evaluation process.  Pacetti Bay is the only middle school in northern St. Johns County to have received the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program honor. The process for Pacetti Bay to become an IB school began soon after the school opened in 2005.  The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

The IB program is primarily known as an elite four-year-degree at Nease and other high schools. The program is also available for middle and elementary schools as more of a learning process and philosophy rather than a degree-seeking curriculum.   It’s based on giving students a global perspective, helping them learn more about the world, other cultures and languages.  It also helps students find connections within all their classes and discover their own individual learning styles.  More information about IB at Pacetti Bay Middle School is available here: http://www-pbm.stjohns.k12.fl.us/ib/.