2015 IB Junior Pinning Ceremony

Our third pinning ceremony for the IB junior class was held November 18, 2015 at Crossroads Christian Church in Largo. IB Coordinator, Mr. Liem, took over the hosting duties this year as well as being one of the pinned recipients as our new IB coordinator. He was eloquent with a touch of humor that had everyone in attendance at ease.

Forty two students of the class of 2017 were given advice from fellow seniors Shay Bidani and Rachel Piper who both spoke to the students about staying true to themselves and to building the bridge from the old school to the new school due to open in August of next school year.

Largo Principal, Dr. Brad Finkbiner, was also in attendance. He thanked former IB coordinator, Adam Lane, who was in attendance and welcomed the class to the IB program. The IB teachers were called forward to be thanked and the new teachers to the program were pinned.

Teachers new to the IB program who were given pins were drama teacher, Mr. Durst, Spanish teacher, Ms. Parks, History teacher, Mr. Koehler, and Psychology teacher, Mr. Penberthy. Mr. Liem and Ms. Wolfe, the new IB guidance counselor, also received pins.

 

One by one, the students crossed the stage to a slide show of their baby pictures and received their pins from Mr. Liem and a congratulatory handshake from Dr. Finkbiner. The evening ended with a speech from 2015 IB graduate Brad Mostowski who is a Math major at the University of Southern Florida. He encouraged the students to not be afraid to take risks as they venture through the program and out into the world. 

IB Booster president Jyoti Patel closed the evening with a reminder of the goals of the organization and she thanked Pinning Chairwoman, Elizabeth Cottrell, for putting together the warm and wonderful evening. A reception was held afterwards. Click here for more photos of the evening.

October IB Information

Sunday, October 4th - 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Pinellas County College Fair - University of South Florida St. Petersburg Student Center - Visit with admission administrators from various universities and colleges.
Monday, October 5th -  6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Countryside High School College Fair - Visit with admission administrators from various universities and colleges.
Wednesday, October 14th - 9:00 a.m. - Largo IB Booster Organization Board Meeting
Saturday, October 24th - Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading - University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus - Free event open to the public that includes book signings, author forums, a book market, activities, and an outdoor food court.
Saturday, November 7th - 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - University of South Florida St. Petersburg Open House - Chat with college deans and professors, learn about admissions and financial aid, and tour our waterfront campus. -
Monday, November 9th - 8:00 a.m. - Eckerd College Open House - An Open House for students interested in Eckerd College - Click here for more info

Spanish Teacher Update

We currently have two substitute teachers teaching in IB Spanish. The freshman and sophomore classes will have their returning teacher, Ms. Olivero, in November after her maternity leave. The juniors, seniors, and those students coming from the Spanish immersion program will have their returning teacher, Ms. Hermann, as soon as the state deals with a certification issue. In the meantime, Ms. Hermann will be on campus as a volunteer starting this week. Both teachers are working closely with their substitute teachers and can also be reached by email.

September IB Information

We hope that everyone has gotten off to a great start so far this year. Each month our website will post dates and information of interest for all IB students and parents. Please check in with us to stay informed.

If you haven't sent in your IB Activity Fee, please do so quickly so that your email can be added to the mailing lists. Each month we email information concerning meetings and information so you are always informed.

September Dates

• Wednesday, September 16th - IB General Meeting - 6:30 pm. - Largo Cafeteria - The IB General Meetings are held three times a school year and is a great way to meet with representatives from the student body, the teachers, and administration. These meetings last one hour or less and include an Open Forum for questions and comments.
• Thursday, September 17th - IB CAS Meeting - 7:00 pm. - Largo Cafeteria - All junior students and parents will want to attend this meeting to get the latest information regarding CAS. Any Honor Option parents and students that are interested in learning what to expect in the junior year regarding CAS can also attend. CAS is a huge requirement of the IB program and knowing the ins and outs of what to expect is important for parents as well as students.
• Saturday, September 12th - What Colleges Want in an Essay - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. - Countryside Recreation Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Dr., Clearwater - Learn to write a creative, captivating personal essay that will be difficult for them to deny! The presenter for this afternoon will be Maria Gerakios (gerakiosm@pcsb.org), AP Literature and Honors English Teacher from Countryside High.
• Monday, September 21st - Clearwater High College Showcase - 6:30 pm. - 8:00 pm. at Clearwater High School Gym - Many college representatives will be there including reps from FASFA and Bright Futures.
• Sunday, October 4th - College Fair - 1:00 - 3:00 pm. - University of South Florida St. Petersburg, University Student Center - Meet with more than 70 universities for college information.  For more information click here or email sfinck@mail.usf.edu or call 727-873-4754.

2015-2016 Start of School

We hope everyone had a great summer, but the school year is fast approaching. The first day of school is Monday, August 24, 2015. Remember that the school is under construction so expect the first week of school to be a learning experience as everyone works to adjust to new schedules, new teachers, and portable classrooms. Below are dates and information pertaining to the upcoming school year:

• August 14th - Bus Information - The county will mail out the postcards with your student's bus number and bus schedule. These cards are white and the size of a postcard so look before tossing.
• August 10th - Parking Tags - The school will be selling parking spaces from 8:00 - 11:30 a.m. for $5.00. A valid driver's license is required. No reserved spots.
• August 20th - Freshman Orientation - 6:00 - 7:30 pm. in the E wing building (Formerly the Excel building and now the offices) - This informal meeting is for incoming freshman and parents. Students will receive their school schedule, a campus map, and any other information. IB Booster memberships ($25) and IB T'shirts ($15) will also be for sale. Checks and cash only.
• August 27th - Back to School Night - 6:30 pm. This is an evening for parents to walk their student's schedule, learn their classes, and meet their teachers. 
• September 16th - IB Booster General Meeting - 6:30 p.m. in the E Wing Cafeteria - The first general meeting of the IB membership is open to all parents and students in the Honors Option and IB program. There will be an Open Forum at the end of the meeting to ask questions.
• September 17th - CAS Meeting - 7:30 p.m. in E Wing Cafeteria - Confused about CAS? Join this informal meeting to learn all about CAS and what is expected of your student. All classes are welcome. CAS begins the junior year.
• November 4th - IB Pinning Ceremony - TBA - This ceremony is for those juniors who have committed to entering the IB program.

Life after the IB exams

Inquiry Upon Results

You may request a re-mark of an externally assessed material (exam, EE).  A request for an enquiry upon results will only be accepted from schools, not from individual candidates, their legal guardian or other representatives.  A re-marking does not include multiple choice components (MCQ) and internal assessments.  A request for an enquiry upon results must be submitted no later than September 15^th

A candidate’s grade may be lowered or raised as a consequence of an inquiry upon results.  The fee for this service is $114.00 and must be paid in full before the order can be processed.  Checks are made payable to Largo High School. There is no charge for a category 1 enquiry that results in a favorable change of grade.

Retaking an IB Exam

The deadline for registration and payment of a candidate from May 2015 session retaking one or more subjects in November 2015 is July 29^th.  The cost is $160.00 registration fee and $110.00 per subject exam.  Parents are also responsible for all mailing fees.

Transcripts

Universities that receive results electronically will be able to access results on July 5^th at 1200 hours GMT by logging into the IB university results website.  Universities that receive results in paper format will be sent the results in the weeks following the issue of results.  All results for the USA and Canada are sent out by July 31^st.

Additional Transcripts (you changed your mind about your college)

The results of the IB exams are sent to the University that the student has provided.  A fee of $17.00 will be charged for each additional transcript, made after July 5^th.  To request an ADDITIONAL transcript students will need to use the Request for Result Service Form available on the IB website. Click here.

Replacement IB Diploma

Cost for a replacement diploma is $76.00.  This can be ordered through the IB website (www.ibo.org), complete an electronic Request for Results Service Form

For More Information

Go to the IB website here.. Choose the IB Answers tab at the top of the page.

IB Senior Celebration

Largo's First IB Senior Celebration on May 27th was a night of fun, good food, and was a great way to end the four years.

The Planning Committee met early that morning to decorate the room and run through the program. Balloons were inflated, international flags were hung, and tables were decorated with delicious varieties of blue and yellow candies and gumballs (some of which disappeared into Hannah Walker's mouth).

Mr. Adam Lane started the evening by welcoming the crowd of parents, teachers, and students. Over 125 people were in attendance. Mrs. Beck introduced the graduating seniors who entered the room to a standing ovation.

Brad Mostowski took Mr. Lane seriously when he asked if anyone wanted to entertain the crowd until the signal for the start of the buffet. 

Hannah Walker, Elisha Myers, and Angela Le presented the superlatives that the students voted on. Nominees were read and the envelope opened to reveal the winners.

Felicity Inthalangsy wins 

 Shane Stockings is "Most Likely to become a Politician"

Keval Patel is "Most Likely to become a Super Hero"

Michael Haddad is "Selfie King"

Alec Emser and Arber Muharemi win for "Best Duo"

Mr. Britton and Ms. Paquet passed out the superlatives that the teachers voted on. Each student was awarded a superlative. 

After a student slide presentation put together by Jordan Le and Felicity Inthalangsy and a teacher slide presentation put together by Madison Boos, seniors Vivian Huynh and Vy Nguyen presented the "torch", a book of helpful advice written by Largo's IB seniors, to the junior class. Junior Brendan Haviland, the IB Booster 11th grade representative, accepted the book for the class of 2016.

The evening also included gifts chosen by the students and given to the teachers. Yearbooks were passed around and signed and the Largo IB Congrats Senior cake was cut and devoured. Thank you to the IB Booster Organization, the IB senior Planning Committee, and to Rachelle Stockings and Cara Boos. Special thanks to Pam Potter for the decorative balloons and her decorating help.

Congrats too to our first graduating class! 

Largo IB Class of 2015!

Largo IB Seniors Get Accepted All Over

Our first IB senior class will be graduating and moving on to some of the following campuses:

University of South Florida

University of Florida

Florida State University

Purdue University

Cornell University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Yale University

We wish all of our seniors good luck next year in college. It has been an honor to have watched them grow and forge the way for all of the Largo IB students coming behind them.

IB Freshman Boot Camp!

Back by popular demand!

IB Freshman Boot Camp

June 8th, 9th, and 10th

from

9:00 am to 12:00 pm

at

Largo High School

Incoming students will get a chance to meet with IB teachers and classmates, learn the campus, and get a jump on what to expect next year. This is not mandatory, but is suggested. The school recommends coming all three days, but one or two days is acceptable.

Interested students please email Ms. Chevere at chevereb@pcsb.org to sign up.

IB Exams

The first week of IB exams went off well for Largo's first senior class. All forty-four students arrived Monday, a tad nervous, but ready to get the first round under their belts. The students felt they were well prepared for the tests and thought the first exam was what was to be expected.

Thank you the Zidi Family who purchased our exam supplies and to the Boos Family for bringing breakfast on the first day. Also thank you to our first week proctors: Cara Boos, Pam Potter, Julie Coulson, and Jamie Daniel. We would also like to give a huge thanks to The Prince of Peach Church for the exam room. All of you have made our first IB exams a success.

IB TALENTED ROCKS

Mr. Lane on guitar singing Brown Eyed Girl

The IB Talented talent show was a HUGE success with twenty acts from the various IB classes. The booster organization raised $467 and everyone agreed it was a fun night for both the performers and the audience. Photos from the evening can be found in our Photo Page on the right hand side.

Thank you to the following people for all of their hard work. We couldn't have done this without you!

Performers!

Sarina Patel & Darcy Boos - Hosts 

YaYo - Jordan Le, Clarence Tan, Andrew Cadavid, Sam Twitty, Guillermo Caro

Josh Bronto

Rachel Potter   

Baran Ayoub 

Gabriel Johnston

Seth Brady & Constance Squires

Noah Denker

Chelsea Downes & Whitney James

Adriana Ladera

Kailynn Spano

Megana Tirupathi

Radha Patel

Yu-Lin

Christan Kondor

Ladder & Friends - Adriana Ladera, Rashmi Gupta, Chelsea Downes, Vanessa Blankenship-Carlos, Kailynn Spano, and Shailee Banskota

Skye Browne

Mr. Adam Lane

Backstage Crew!

Fay Fe Hu

Tim Steele

Madison Boos

Producers, Directors and Writers!

Sunila Spano, Pamela Potter, and Cara Boos

Our Booster Backers!

Pamela Potter - Decorations

Cara Boos - Tickets & Program

Madison Boos, Darcy Boos, Brendan Haviland, and Kailynn Spano - Ticket Sales

Jyoti Patel - Ticket & T'shirt Table

TALENT SHOW

The Largo IB Booster Organization 

proudly presents

IB TALENTED

Friday, March 20th 

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Largo HS Cafeteria

$3.00 pre-pay

$5.00 at door

All proceeds benefit the students for the

End of the Year Picnic
&
The Senior Celebration

IB News

1. SENIORS - Please remember to fill out your FAFSA application. You can do this here. Also, don't forget to fill out a Florida Financial Aid Application. It is required for Bright Futures. Click HEREfor more information.
2. Kaplan Test Prep is once again holding a practice SAT/ACT test for students interested in getting a head start on these tests. The next session is Saturday, April 4th at the Largo Library from 10:30 am to 2:15 pm. Space is limited. Click here to register.
3. The IB Talent Show will be the third week in March. The exact date will be posted here soon!
4. Thank you to everyone who ordered IB shirts and sweatshirts last week. The order will go in this week and should be back within 14 days. We will distribute them to the teachers and student representatives to hand out.
5. A HUGE thank you to CVT Surgical Specialists for their donation to the IB Booster Organization. Because we still do not have 100% family participation in our organization we appreciate all donations! Our members and our donors are the ones that keep us moving!

IB Booster T'shirt Sale

Representatives from the IB Booster Organization will be at the school on February 19th during lunch to take orders for T'shirts and Sweatshirts. This is a fundraiser for the Senior Celebration and the End of the Year Picnic.

If you don't have apparel that represents the IB program, now is the time to pick something up! Shirts are $15 and Sweatshirts are $25. Checks and Cash only.

January2015 Information

• Bank of America is looking for the next generation of community leaders. If you are a junior or senior in high school with a passion for improving your community, we want to support you. 
  As a Student Leader, you will participate in an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit organization where you will learn first-hand about the needs of your community and the critical role nonprofits play. In addition, you will learn valuable civic, social and business leadership skills. Each Student Leader will attend the Student Leaders Summit held in Washington, D.C. where you will learn how government, business and the nonprofit sector work together to address critical community needs. Please CLICK HERE for more information.
• Yale Young Global Scholars Program - The Yale Young Global Scholars Program is a two-week academic enrichment and leadership training program for talented high school students from around the world, who live and study on the Yale campus during the summer. Students currently in 10th or 11th grade are eligible to apply.
• Largo Proctor Volunteer Training - Largo's first IB senior class will be taking exams the entire month of May. We will need volunteers to help with proctoring the exams. All volunteers will need to complete an hour training session. There are two dates available to do this: March 3rd from 10:30 am - 11:30 am. or March 10th from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Please email us at largoibbooster@gmail.com if you are interested.