This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The International Baccalaureate program is coming to Ogden High.
School officials received notification April 11 that the rigorous two-year college preparation program — known as IB — will be available to students starting this fall.
The program is recognized internationally for its challenging academic work, aimed at giving students the critical and creative thinking skills needed to complete college degrees. Students can take individual classes for college credit, or receive a full IB diploma, which several Utah universities recognize with up to 30 college credit hours.
"This gives our students an amazing opportunity to be globally competitive, that is the main motivation" for bringing the program to Ogden, said Ogden School District spokeswoman Jeanette Pascoe. "We wanted to be able to offer a wide range of rigor, and this program fits the needs of so many of our students."
Already 43 students have enrolled to complete the full IB-diploma program, Pascoe said, and the high school has 60 more slots available. Students across northern Utah will have access to the program by filing an exception waiver with the district.
The program began in 1968 and is now offered in about 140 countries. The program first came to Utah at Salt Lake City's West High in 1984, with Bountiful, Clearfield, Hillcrest, Provo, Skyline and now Ogden high schools joining since then.
Learn more about the Ogden program at http://www.ohs.ogdensd.org.