SARASOTA
COUNTY, July 25, 2018 – The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay Foundation will be the founding
donor for Riverview High School’s Excellence
& Equity (E2) Initiative, a pilot program that will support the existing International
Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) and the International Baccalaureate
Career-related Program (IBCP). The E2 Initiative seeks to promote the inclusion and success
of underrepresented students in the IBDP and IBCP.
The IBDP
and IBCP provides some 750 motivated students with an opportunity to pursue a
rigorous, globally-recognized university preparatory curriculum. Both programs
empower students to pursue their own learning styles, strengths and challenges,
based on their unique and shared patterns of values, knowledge and experience
of the world and their place in it. Students can tailor their studies to fit
their academic interests. Teachers serve as teammates, planning and sequencing
course offerings of the very best in contemporary high school studies.
“We are
thrilled to have the support of the Foundation,” commented Riverview High
School Principal Erin del Castillo. “The
IBDP and IBCP should be accessible to all students who desire to challenge
themselves academically and vocationally. Cost and lack of supportive resources
should not be an impediment to student success. The E2 Initiative ensures that
the students within these two programs reflect the diversity and uniqueness of
Riverview High School’s student body.”
“These
programs are not for the faint of scholastic heart,” said Dr. James Minor, IB
coordinator and English department chair of Riverview High School. “Students
that participate in the IBDP and IBCP are slated to achieve great things but it
is not without hard work and a huge investment of time. The E2 Initiative acknowledges
equity gaps and ensures students facing unique challenges can participate with
confidence and focus on achieving.”
The
Foundation’s grant will be used for key areas including recruiting and E2
program promotion, case management, and Last Mile Scholarships. The latter will
help fund pre-graduation expenses, such as campus visit travel costs, and
post-graduation expenditures, including a dorm room setup and a summer bridge
program, with the aim of reducing or eliminating students’ higher education
indebtedness.
About Sarasota County Schools
Dedicated
to academic excellence, Sarasota County Schools is home to 53 schools, 43,000
students and 5,000 employees. The Sarasota County School District is one of
only two Florida school districts to consistently earn an "A" grade
since 2004. Learn more at www.SarasotaCountySchools.net.
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