PHILIPSBURG:--- On July 6, 2016, thirteen students of the St Dominic High School International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme received the results from their May 2017 examinations.
This year 10 of the 13 (77%) IB candidates met the requirements to be awarded the internationally recognized IB Diploma. They now become part of more than 1.7 million Diploma Programme graduates in 152 countries across the world.
Elvin Alberts and Vishal Mahtani scored the highest with a cumulative score of 35 points each. Prasanjit Paul and Gabriella Remy achieved the second highest scoring 33 points each out of a possible 45. This was the first examination session for Computer Science which is a new subject for the school and Elvin Alberts achieved a perfect score of 7. Also noteworthy are the Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay results for Vishal Mahtani, Prasanjit Paul and Gabriella Remy who received the maximum 3 bonus points for those subjects.
Ms. Marie Richardson, the Diploma Programme Coordinator stated: “This was an arduous two-year journey for the students, the teachers and parents. They deserve to be congratulated for their determination and achievement. In line with our mission here at St. Dominic High School, the IB Diploma Programme curriculum challenges students to be critical thinkers, open-minded, reflective doers, good communicators and global ambassadors.”
According to information on www.ibo.org, over 159,400 students around the world sat the May 2017 exams, with students achieving an average diploma score of 29.95 out of a possible 45 points. The St Dominic High students who received the diploma achieved an average score of 29.38 which is in line with the global mean.
Dr. Siva Kumari, the IB General Director, expressed the following:
“The IB’s preparation for entry to higher education is second to none and, in recognition of this, the world’s finest universities welcome DP graduates as academically well-prepared humanists, who will make mindful contributions to our world today and in years to come. These effects are also confirmed by independent studies, so we know that the IB increases students’ academic achievement and the probability of high school graduation and college enrollment. Other independent studies prove that our students are well-prepared to succeed in post-secondary study. And, perhaps most importantly, they are set to make important and inspiring contributions to their communities, and will help achieve the IB’s mission of education for a better world.”
The IB Diploma Programme, offered at St. Dominic High School since August 2010, is a rigorous pre-university curriculum where students select and study six subjects from five groups – literature, foreign language, individuals and societies, experimental sciences, mathematics. In order to qualify for the diploma, students must complete the following core requirements: a 4,000 word Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course which examines how knowledge is acquired and the various kinds of knowledge that exists, Creativity, Action Service (CAS) requiring students to engage in the arts, sports and the community. The Diploma Programme is designed to not only challenge a student academically but personally and socially as well in order to give them the skills to be successful contributive citizens and members of our global community.
