Monday, April 17, the annual IB celebration to honor senior IB diploma students took place in the NDA library.. 

After being congratulated by IB Coordinator Matthew Schultz, President Dr. Tom Kiely, and Principal Andrea Hearden, each IB student received a certificate of completion, a chord for graduation, and a bound copy of their extended essay (a major research paper that candidates must complete over the course of the summer).  

The event saw each student creating a poster board to present their growth over the past two years. 

Many displayed their CAS project (a student-led project involving Creativity, Activity, and Service that diploma students must complete) and their extended essay on their poster boards. 

Diploma students showed that they have grown as a result of the IB program. 

For instance, Simon Wied explained, “IB has allowed me to grow into a more hard-working and driven person, as the heavy coursework and challenging subjects forced me to push myself further academically than I’d ever been before. It has taught me how to balance a college-level course load with extracurricular activities, which has certainly prepared me for college.” 

Wied was influenced to pursue the IB diploma by his teachers and by his two older brothers who had already gone through the program.

“For me, it was the best decision I could have made in high school, and it allowed me to reach my goals and build a better future for myself in college,” he said. 

Lauren Conway is another student who acknowledges a great amount of growth over the past two years. 

“Being a full IB diploma student has taught me a lot of things about myself,” she said. “I have learned what environments I work best in and what type of learner I am.” 

Conway, like many others, was able to write her extended essay about a topic she was truly interested in. 

“I immediately fell in love with philosophy when I took the class, so I knew that is what I wanted to write about,” the diploma student explained. “It is a topic I am interested in, as well as one I would love to learn more about. “

Author’s note: As a diploma student myself, I found that this event made all of my work over the past two years feel worth the effort. This night is a wonderful tradition, and I hope it continues for graduating IB seniors in the future.

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