If all goes according to schedule, parents with children currently in 4^th grade in Granville County Public Schools will have one more option to choose from when it comes to middle school. G.C. Hawley Middle School is scheduled to become part of the International Baccalaureate program in fall of 2022.

Although planning is in initial stages, the Granville County Board of Education approved the designation for the school earlier this month, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, assistant superintendent for operations & human resources and public information officer.

Leading the effort is Dr. Chris Ham, current principal at Hawley Middle School, located in Creedmoor. “My team and I are excited to have the opportunity to bring this world-renowned program to Granville County in the near future. The IB program, in my opinion, is the absolute best learning opportunity available,” he stated.

The board authorized Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean to research implementation of the IB program at a retreat held in the fall of 2020. The IB program, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, “offers a rigorous, engaging curriculum that relies on a different approach to teaching and learning,” according to information provided by the school district. The curriculum extends across content areas and has an additional focus on multilingualism.

Although there is no cost to the students, the district has to pay for the curriculum, as well as invest in additional training for staff. In making its decision to proceed with the IB designation, the board cited “the necessity to offer new, competitive programs in an effort to increase opportunities for the students of Granville County,” Winborne’s statement noted.  The program will be offered as a “Choice Program” to all middle school students in the county for the fall of 2022.

Parents will receive more information as planning continues.

Ham was the first principal at Granville Early College High School, and he established the district’s Choice Program. He has been an educator for more than 25 years; 14 of those years have been spent as a principal.

McLean said only a handful of districts in North Carolina offer the IB program. “Bringing this to our district will be an amazing opportunity for our students,” she stated. “I am so excited about being able to give our students the best there is to offer. This will truly be a win for our students and their families.”

Next steps for Ham and his staff will be setting up meetings and training dates with members of the IB organization to create a timeline for implementation. The IB program, he said, “will greatly enhance the learning experience for our students and will help prepare them to engage in the world they will be a part of after their education is complete.

Board Chairman David Richardson said he is looking forward to the possibility of extending the IB program to the high school level as students move from the middle school to the next level.

Learn more about the IB middle years program at https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/ .