A top-notch class of Hillcrest High students were awarded International Baccalaureate diplomas and certificates on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. In all, 29 students from the class of 2011 were given IB diplomas and another 35 received IB certificates.

“This program is doing exactly what we want it to do – deliver high rigor and prepare students for college,” said Canyons Superintendent David S. Doty, who spoke at the ceremony.  “I would like to congratulate all the students, and their teachers, for this stellar accomplishment.”

The students who received the diplomas and certificates graduated in the spring from Hillcrest, one of seven IB schools in Utah. Hillcrest’s administration plans the ceremony each year on the first Monday in January, when many of the IB-award recipients, now college students, are home for the holidays.

Thanks in large part to its academic focus, Hillcrest has been ranked as one of the best high schools in the country. This summer, the Midvale school made Newsweek’s list of top U.S. schools. It was ranked 445th, and was one of only three Utah schools on the list. Hillcrest also ranked No. 356 on the Washington Post’s rankings of the country’s best high schools.

International Baccalaureate, which is overseen by a nonprofit agency in Switzerland, is offered in 141 countries and aims to prepare students for life in a global economy. This is the 43rd year that IB programs have been provided to students who seek a curriculum that emphasizes critical and creative-thinking skills.

To earn an IB diploma, students must take six IB courses in at least five different subject areas.  They must pass some tough exams, write a comprehensive essay and complete service in schools and communities.   

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