Osseo Area Schools ISD 279: Park Center Class Of 2021 Alumni Earn Prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma

Press release from the Osseo Area Schools ISD 279:

September 28, 2021

Four students from Park Center Senior High's Class of 2021 have earned the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, proving themselves as well-rounded, self-motivated scholars who excelled in a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum.

Congratulations to Park Center alumni (pictured left to right) Cole Beattie, Jonathan Marsyla, Minh Tong and Jailia Yang for achieving this honor.

The IB Diploma Programme is an academically challenging opportunity for high school juniors and seniors that prepares students for success at university and beyond. To earn the diploma, students must complete course work and exams in six areas, give back to their community through service-learning projects totaling approximately 150 hours, and write a 4,000-word essay.

Many colleges and universities offer college credits to students with IB Diplomas, which allow scholars to save money on tuition and potentially graduate earlier than their peers. Students with IB Diplomas are highly regarded by colleges and universities because they:

• Know how to do independent research;
• Have a demonstrated foreign language skill;
• Contribute a global perspective to current events;
• Have given back to their communities through volunteerism and community service;
• Study the language, history and arts of diverse cultures, and approach problems from multiple perspectives;
• Have above-average time management skills; and
• Are exceedingly well-prepared for the rigor of college-level coursework.

Beattie is enrolled this fall at Grinnell College, Marsyla at Concordia Moorhead, Tong at the University of Minnesota, and Yang at Stanford University.

Any Park Center Senior High student is eligible to take an IB course. For more information, contact Park Center IB Diploma Coordinator Mike Cassidy at CassidyM@district279.org or 763-569-7776.

This press release was produced by the Osseo Area Schools ISD 279. The views expressed here are the author’s own.