Signal Mountain International Baccalaureate students outscore IB students worldwide
Posted on 09/06/2018
The seven students from Signal Mountain HighSignal Mountain Middle/High school sophomores turned their passions into research and outscored other schools worldwide in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP). In the process of completing their IB projects, the teens uncovered new opportunities for their future.

Every 10th grader in the IB Middle Years Program around the world is required to complete a project on a topic about which they are passionate. Through the research process, the creation of a product, writing the final paper and the reflection that is involved, students learn 21st-century skills that will prepare them for future challenges in school or career.

Zaria Killingsworth built a model of a heart to practice surgery; she said: "I'm very interested in medicine, and I am hoping that I become a doctor one day."

“I wanted to help my church become more eco-friendly,” said Caroline Cornett, who noticed the amount of waste her church was producing and decided to start a recycling program. “I thought it was important that we looked at how we could give back to the environment."

Maggie Meller created a website that connects volunteers to organizations that need help. “I found that volunteering is something that's rewarding for me,” said Miller, “So, I wanted to share those opportunities with other people.”

“I wanted to educate people about the Egyptian culture and the Middle East,” said Julia Youssef, a sophomore who chose to blog about her Egyptian heritage. “I also wanted to tell people about my transition to the U.S.”

Ethan Fell taught movement-based acting methods to other students; Griffin Mickel built an electric guitar from scratch, and Jacob Gravett formed a fishing club. These are just a few of the examples of the projects completed by Signal Mountain sophomores.

According to the International Baccalaureate organization, seven is the highest score a project can receive in the program. The average score for students around the world is 3.75. The Signal Mountain Middle/High students’ average score for IB sophomores was an impressive 4.53.

“Out of all the IB MYP schools in the world, our students scored higher than a lot of them,” said Melissa Bouldin, IB MYP facilitator for Signal Mountain. “It is a huge accomplishment.”

“We are so proud of last year's cohort, and so excited to see what projects this year's sophomores come up with over the next academic year,” said Bouldin. “With support and encouragement from our faculty and staff who serve as supervisors, this group of sophomores is already off to a strong start.”

Signal Mountain Middle/High, a school in the Rock Point Learning Community, offers International Baccalaureate as a Future Ready Institute.

Photo from Left to Right: Jacob Gravett, Zaria Killingsworth, Caroline Cornett, Julia Youssef, Maggie Meller, Ethan Fell, and Griffin Mickel