Sunday, January 28, 2007
Private help for public schools
Last Monday, the Lakewood council got a briefing from Rotarians who are planning something very cool with the local schools. Lakewood Rotary is planning to spend roughly $150,000 over the next couple years to help the Clover Park School District develop an International Baccalaureate program.
That's a fantastic investment in our youth - and our schools. If you see a Rotarian, thank 'em.
The short version of the IB program is that it is a special program of study for high school kids who want to develop themselves and likely go on to college. IB is highly-regarded: the sort of thing you would describe to someone who you were trying to convince to move to Lakewood.
It's well known that a percentage of Lakewood's promising high school students go to Charles Wright Academy and Bellarmine ... and also to Foss High School in Tacoma. One of my daughter's closest friends did that very thing. Her family lives near Idlewild Elementary and nowhere near Tacoma. But Foss is the closest school to offer the International Baccalaureate program.
The program requires a lot of set-up, as well as certification by the international HQ. So the council learned it will actually be a few years before the IB program is up and running.
YOu can read a lot more about the topic in an archived story from The Suburban Times. It's all good news, and one of the finest examples of how people are investing time, energy and money in this community.
