About WAIS & IB
IB Mission Statement
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
WAIS Mission Statement
Strengthening learners to be designers and contributors to a dynamic, intercultural community.
Vision Statement
WAIS Graduates will have the ability and confidence to be
- Critical and creative problem solvers
- Compassionate communicators
- Ethical decision makers
- Globally self-aware
IB Programmes at WAIS
All students in 6th-10th grade are part of the Middle Years Programme. In 11th and 12th grade, students may choose to participate in the Diploma Programme, Career-related Programme, or participate in courses for an IB Certificate without enrolling in the full Diploma or Career-related Programmes.
The International Baccalaureate provides multiple comprehensive programs to prepare students through a rigorous course of studies both in higher education and in life. The variety of assessment methods used value both the content and the process of and reflection on academic learning. A centralized part education in the IB is the Learner Profile, and the traits associated with it.
- The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) is a comprehensive program to prepare students for university and life through a rigorous course of studies. Students may participate in the IB DP in 11th & 12th.
- The International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IB CP) allows students to continue career-related studies at WAIS or through Guthrie while still being part of the rigorous curriculum IB offers. Students may participate in the IB CP in 11th & 12th.
- The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) is designed to encourage balanced learners that think critically and reflectively in a variety of academics that connect with real world issues and topics. All students are part of the IB MYP in 6th & 10th.
- The variety of assessment methods used value both the content and the process of academic learning and reflection of that learning. Different learning styles and cultural patterns are taken into account.
An IB Continuum School
Since even the formation of the WAIS steering committee in the late 90's, IB was considered to be strongly aligned with the ideals and beliefs for the WAIS campus. In 2005, WAIS became an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme, under the leadership of the opening director, Dr. Pamela Butler, and first IB DP coordinator Stephen Shearer.
The path to offering the IB Middle Years Programme began at the end of Dr. Butler's last year at WAIS. The process for candidacy and authorization spanned several years, under the leadership of WAIS' second director, Dr. Natalie Blasingame, and first IB MYP coordinator, Cheryl Wegscheid. WAIS was authorized to offer the IB MYP in 2013 with our third director, Mrs. Jennifer Collier.
WAIS was authorized to offer the IB Career-related Programme under the leadership of Mrs. Jennifer Collier and Mrs. Sara Sebesta-Camano, our first IB CP coordinator. We were authorized for the IB CP in 2014, and in the process also became an IB Continuum School.
WAIS completed its second revaluation as an IB Continuum School, with reauthorization for all three IB Programmes in 2023-24.