International Baccalaureate (IB) Program Review

IB at Ancaster High

I believe that the IB program should stay at Ancaster High. If there is a school switch, I will not be making the switch due to transportation issues. I don’t necessarily understand the idea of dropping the program as there is a class of tenth graders that have enrolled into the program.

please keep the IB program available at Ancaster for our kids!

It is crucial to keep the IB program at Ancaster High

As parents of a future Ancaster High student, we strongly believe removing the IB program from Ancaster High would be a huge step backward to the HWDSB. Programs that help students pursue higher education are extremely important and should be maintained at all costs. The education system in Hamilton has already fallen behind other boards and districts. By further removing crucial academic programs will have a major impact on the quality of education. Please reconsider.

Moving the program to Westdale would affect Ancaster's IB teachers

As a grade 11 IB student at Ancaster, I have seen how hard the IB teachers have worked, and continue to work to make their classes the best they can be. Many have been teaching IB for a long time and bring endless valuable insights to their students. I am under the impression that very few of my teachers, if any, are willing to move to Westdale to continue their IB teaching (most additionally teach OSSD classes at Ancaster) if the IB were to move. Thus, the program will have lost a set of amazing IB guides. Along with the many other valid points made by others in this discussion, I believe that the voices of Ancaster's IB teachers should be heard before such a decision is made.

The IB Program Should Stay at Ancaster High

Moving the program to Westdale does not directly solve any of the issues mentioned, it only gets rid of them in the short-term. Further, losing the program at Ancaster introduces a whole other plethora of problems. For one, a good amount of Grade 10 students have already applied to the program and are taking the required courses. To suddenly remove the program with no consultation from them at all seems incredibly unfair to the students who are working diligently so they can have the chance to study at a higher level. All that effort would be wasted, with many not even knowing that there was a chance they wouldn’t get to take the program. There aren’t a lot of options for higher-level learning in the school, what with enriched math being removed and now the possibility of IB being removed as well. It seems quite inequitable to those who want to challenge themselves and make a meaningful difference. If the problem is enrolment, then perhaps improving the program is a more viable solution than shutting down the opportunity for everyone entirely.

earliest 2024 because current students accepted to start 2023 deserve stability and reassurance they can get what they applied for.

Before students join AHS

The sentiment at the in-person session on February 16th was vehemently against terminating the IB program at AHS. However, should this be pushed through against the wishes of the community, at least plan ahead and make sure the students currently enrolled in AHS continue to have the opportunity they were promised when they joined. Another point that deserves mention is that transportation has been a shambles this year with so many late buses and cancellations. Asking people to go to Westdale from Ancaster and then using an poor transportation system to make that happen would be rubbing salt into the wounds of the community.

IB Canceled at AHS - We do not support

As parents of a current AHS grade 9 student who may be considering IB at AHS, we would not send her to Westdale. This decision does not reflect the many talented, dedicated, and amazing Westdale staff, but rather the lengthy travel time to and from Westdale. This would also impact our daughter's extra-curricular activities, whether they be on Westdale sports teams/clubs or outside community activities. We wonder how many other Ancaster parents may feel and be affected the same? ~ Joe and Mary Bower (parents of a grade 9 AHS student)

For quality of IB education, I think as soon as possible such as starting September 2023.

Keep IB @ AHS

I am strongly opposing the move to Wesdale.

Add Certificates, promote the program, research why the students opt out after enrolling

1. Add the option to take Certificates at AHS 2. Promote the program at Grade 8 meetings about High School, via counselors at High school, via additional workshops for Grade 8 3. Research why the students that enroll to the program at the first place, opt out afterwards. Who is making such suggestions? Who is not supporting their decision to join?

I first heard about IB at Pathways event when my child was in grade 7. Now event is not held and so most parents don't even know about it.

We need to bring back Pathways event for parents to learn about schisms and IB.

Build a dedicated IB team for the whole school board, so instead of moving students into one school, the IB team can move around the schools

thus provide more course options for both schools.

Solutions for keeping IB @ AHS

Enhance the enrollment by adding IB physics so the students interested in engineering will be interested in the program. Offer diploma and certificate options, the same as Westdale. Promote the IB program @ AHS through school counsellors.

Certificates, Physics, Pre-IB (MYP)

Allowing certificate choices like Westdale. Bringing back SL Physics for Engineering path. Bring back Grade 9/10 pre IB so students don't need to attend two high schools for IB.