Work behind the scenes to get the International Baccalaureate program up and running at Eagle Butte High School has been ongoing for a couple years.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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Eagle Butte High School will begin offering International Baccalaureate programming this fall, another step to better prepare students for post-secondary.
The announcement was made at the Jan. 13 Prairie Rose Public School Board meeting, but the work to be ready to provide said programming has been happening behind the scenes for roughly two years, says EBHS principal Rocheal Howes.
“The training is extensive and the requirements by the International Baccalaureate are quite rigorous, and to ensure that we are offering the program with fidelity,” said Howes. “So training our teachers in IB has taken a while.”
She says the work has required professional development for not only the teachers but principals and program co-ordinator, to ensure everyone involved is familiar with and knows how to best work with the IB learner profile and attributes to ensure success in the program.
In addition to IB programming for mathematics and english, EBHS will offer career-based programming connected through the South Alberta Flight Academy. This will provide the framework alongside aviation training, blending academic learning with hands-on, industry-focused experience.
“While most schools tackle the diploma side of the International Baccalaureate program, we at Eagle Butte are focusing more on the career related International Baccalaureate program,” said Howes.
Howes says the school has seen success with various career-related programming, including the Flight Academy, School of Trades, Fire Academy and Horsemanship Academy. She anticipates this will compliment those opportunities nicely come the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
South Alberta Flight Academy students will be able to take the career program to begin with, but any EBHA student will be able to take IB mathematics or English. Hows says it is an ideal option for anyone thinking about pursuing post-secondary, as the globally-minded program builds on several vital skills.
“We know that English and math are very important going forward, literacy and numeracy,” said Howes. “So if our students are more prepared in those areas, with advanced work, with research and higher level writing of papers and such, they’re just more set up for success.
“We will also do high-level work in statistics, which is not something students always get with the Alberta curriculum.”
Staff at the school are incredibly excited to see the work come to fruition, says Howes, but what has also been exciting is to see the level of interest from parents and students alike as they look to the coming year.
Seeing how invested the students are in their learning and being prepared for the world after graduation has been overwhelming, says Howes.
Anyone with questions about the International Baccalaureate programming is encouraged to reach out to the school for more information.
