After an extensive authorization visit from an International Baccalaureate certified team, Vernon Middle School World Languages Academy received the news in early April that they were approved to be an IB World campus.
The campus began the process of becoming an IB school in 2020.
For the last two years, they have gone through the candidate phase of the program, which included training teachers and administrators, trial implementation of practices, a consultation process, and site visits.
The school staff was surprised with the announcement on April 17.
“This has definitely moved us forward,” Vernon Middle School Principal Arely Tamez said. “We were already moving along with the World Languages Academy, but now we are moving forward in a different way.”
Superintendent Dr. Alicia Noyola reflected on the school’s journey and commended the staff for facing the challenges head-on and achieving such remarkable progress in a short period of time.
“When you became a World Languages Academy, it was something different,” Dr. Noyola said. “It was a blank slate, and sometimes when change happens, people can retreat, but you faced the challenge head-on, and it’s been an amazing journey that this World Languages Academy has taken. I am excited for you but also excited for your kids. Congratulations to you all; I am so proud of you.”
Dr. Joseph Villarreal, the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, also congratulated the campus for their exceptional success.
“You have joined a small and unique group of schools throughout not just the state of Texas but the world,” Dr. Villarreal said. “Stop and reflect on the macro level and the impact that you are having for all your students, the impact that you are having here at Vernon, and the impact that you are having in the community because IB does that. Your students are going out into the community better people, and you all are playing a part in that.”
The achievement was also recognized by IB Specialist Hortencia Juarez, who expressed her gratitude to staff, school administration, and district administration for all their support along the way.
“This type of program could not be possible without everyone’s support,” Juarez said. “Everywhere that we have gone, they always commend our district, and they tell us that the support that we have here they don’t see everywhere. So, for that, we are very lucky.”
Founded in 1968, IB is a non-profit foundation that offers challenging educational programs for students to help develop their intellectual, emotional, and social skills to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world. The IB fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding, and global engagements.
The IB Middle School Year Programme encourages students of all ages to think critically and challenge assumptions. It incorporates quality practice from research and the IB global community of schools, encourages students of all ages to consider both local and global contexts, and develops multilingual students.