Lake Elsinore Grooming Future World Leaders

A rigorous and elite program designed to prepare today’s young people to become tomorrow’s global leaders has come to

The two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme will be available to TCHS students starting in the fall. The school stands as only one of 3,313 around the globe to have the International Baccalaureate distinction. Temecula’s Great Oak High School and Murrieta Valley High School are the only other Southwest Riverside high schools to offer the IB Diploma Programme.

“It’s a game changer for us,” said Jason Garrison, a TCHS science instructor who will serve as the Diploma Programme coordinator for the Titans.

Core areas of study for students enrolled in the program include foreign language, the arts, mathematics, sciences, history, and philosophy. All program courses are taken during a student’s junior and senior years. Upon completion, students are expected to be bilingual. Additionally, students are required to complete community service work either at home or abroad, and they must pass a written exam at the end of their final year.

“The program is designed to create world citizens,” Garrison said.

Approximately 50 TCHS sophomores have expressed interest in the program, Garrison said, noting that he expects the 2012-13 academic year enrollment number to be closer to 75 students. In order to be accepted into the program, students must already be studying a second language and they must show high aptitude in all courses, Garrison explained.

Lake Elsinore Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Frank W. Passarella said the program is inline with the district’s goal of preparing students to take advantage of opportunities around the world. , which was finalized late last year, Dr. Passarella said, “We turned the mission statement up a notch,” noting that the words “globally competitive” needed to be included.

In a released statement Thursday, TCHS Principal Errol Garnett said the IB program echoes the district’s updated mission.

“The value of the IB Diploma Programme to participating students and schools is opening doors to world class universities and the global IB community, while equipping students to succeed anywhere they desire to be,” he said.

Garrison elaborated and pointed out that successful completion of the program is designed to give advanced students the edge needed to gain acceptance into the world’s most prestigious universities.

“Acceptance rates are significantly higher,” he said.

The potential for TCHS students who enroll in the program is exciting, Garrison said.

“They will have to think beyond their world,” he explained. “They will become critical thinkers.”

According to a district statement, TCHS started on the path to becoming an IB World School two years ago under the leadership of Garnett and Garrison.

“Garnett and TCHS were officially welcomed to the IB community in a letter dated December 21, 2011, and signed by International Baccalaureate Director General Jeffry R. Beard,” according to the district statement.

The International Baccalaureate Organization is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It partners with IB-certified schools serving over 900,000 students in 141 countries.