Worth the Drive

By Lela Garlington

As Leah Ford eases into the back seat of a black Acura at 6:15 a.m. on a school morning, she leans her head against the window. For the next 25 minutes, she likely will doze off on the way to school as her friend, Cassidy Zebold, does the same in the front seat.

Leah and Cassidy, both 14, are just two of the students who are making the sacrifices and long commutes to attend the county’s first magnet school program at Germantown High School. The International Baccalaureate attracted 100 freshmen and 35 sophomores in its first year of operation that winds down Friday .

Leah’s mom, Deb Ford, 53, of Bartlett believes the school is worth losing a little sleep. "Basically she’s getting a private school education in a public setting," Ford said.

Leah’s alarm plays music at 4:50 a.m. waking her up. The early hour gives Leah time so she and Cassidy can carpool, leaving by 6:15 to arrive at school before the 7 o’clock bell rings. Of the students selected for the IB program, about half drive to GHS from Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Millington and the unincorporated areas of the county.

The program’s international reputation lured students from the other seven county high schools. The school even pulled back a few Germantown students who were attending White Station High’s optional program and some who were attending private or parochial schools.

School officials selected the IB students based on their grade point average, state testing score, a writing sample, a creative drawing and an interview.

The only catch is that, unlike in Florida and elsewhere, transfer students not living within the GHS geographic area must provide their own transportation.

While Germantown’s program is the first in West Tennessee, the state now has eight IB programs, most in the Nashville area.

Leah described the workload as "heavy and rigorous. At first everybody complained about how much work we had." Still, she’s glad she’s in the program: "I want to be challenged. I don’t want to slide through high school."

The program, which started in Switzerland, follows a uniform curriculum in every country it’s taught and equips students with the education to attend universities around the world. Students take pre- IB classes similar to Honors or Advanced Placement classes the first two years.

In their last two years, students choose either a math and science track or a liberal arts track of English, history and humanities.

"Students can customize it to their strengths and weaknesses," Germantown High Vice-Principal Leisa Justus said.

Each student must write a 4,000-word essay that is due in December of the senior year. In addition, the students must perform 150 hours of community service.

Justus, who was instrumental in overseeing GHS’s 300-page application, said students do college-level work. "In state colleges and universities in Florida, California, Colorado and Texas they waive the first year of college for an IB student. The student enters as a sophomore with a full year of credit. We’re working on legislation in Tennessee now for the same consideration at state schools."

Once Leah finished Elmore Park Middle, teachers and counselors encouraged the family to apply for the county’s new program. "The friends she did have were labeled geeks in middle school. Bright kids were geeks. Now they come is all shapes and sizes in the IB program. Preppy bright kids. Jocks. Artsy bright kids. Bright kids run the whole gamut," Ford said.

Jeni Chatham, who is the aunt and guardian of Cassidy, sees the challenges Cassidy has undertaken this year: "You can tell Cassidy analyzes and thinks in ways she didn’t before." Next year, Chatham’s son, Dominic Camplin, is one of the 78 incoming freshmen who were selected as IB students.

Since the school gained IB status in late February, IB co- coordinator Melinda Keller has fielded calls from parents and even businesses interested in the program. "This has been a coup for the international companies in town because they can now say we have an IB program in our neighborhood," she said.

Both Keller and Justus cautioned that the program is not just for the "Albert Einsteins.""Students do have to be incredibly self- motivated and determined," Justus said.

That is what sold Ford on the program for her daughter Leah: "She is with other kids who are motivated to achieve in school. It is nice to be in a class with students who really want to be there and not horsing around."

Now Ford has one request for GHS school officials. "Everybody wishes it was a 7:30 a.m. school."

Contact Lela Garlington at 529-2349. To read more stories by this reporter, click on "Contact Us" at commercialappeal.com, then click on the reporter’s name.

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"I want to be challenged. I don’t want to slide through high school."

Leah Ford, Germantown High School student

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Originally published by Lela Garlington / garlington@yourappeal.com .

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