Dr. Joe Williams, IB Program Coordinator

To All IB Parents and Guardians:

Here are our phone numbers and email addresses where you can reach our IB Administrative Team:

Dr. Joe Williams, IB Coordinator (850-414-5036) williamsj@leonschools.net
Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, AP Coordinator and Assistant IB Coordinator (850-414-5005) coopere@leonschools.net
Mrs. Victoria Williams, IB Academic Dean (850-414-5597) williamsv3@leonschools.net

The 2025 IB Senior Celebration will be held Saturday, May 17, from 11 am to 2 pm, at the American Legion Hall at Lake Ella (229 Lake Ella Drive). I look forward to seeing our IB Seniors and their families there.

Thank you to the students and families who attended our Title 1 CAS Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, May 1st! We enjoyed recognizing our juniors and celebrating our seniors. As our Assistant Principal for Curriculum, Dr. Barnes stated, "The Best is Yet to Come!"

We wish all IB students the best of luck on their exams! The IB staff will be away from campus for testing for the next few weeks. If you need to reach us, please email us, and understand there may be a delay in our response.

AP/IB Chemistry

Rising IB Juniors & Seniors who have requested to take AP/IB Chemistry SL/HL next year- It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to contact Ms. Figueroa at sonia.figueroa@leonschools.net for your summer homework packet by 2:45 pm on May 20th. It will be digitally distributed and will be collected at the start of the 25-26 school year. Thank you.

The IB and AP Exams will be held at TSC again in May 2025: Tallahassee State College (TSC) will again host our IB and AP Exams this spring, and we are grateful for their support and partnership as they continue to encourage and facilitate student success at James S. Rickards High School. Please see the attachment of the TSC Campus Map showing where we will hold the exams, where to park and/or drop off and pick up students, and where the entrance is to the building where we will hold our AP and IB Exams this year.

Current Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule . If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible so Mrs. Cooper can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

New IB Regulations for the May 2025 IB Exams: Beginning this year, there is a mandatory supervision period for each IB Exam for two hours from the posted start time of the exam for all students taking the exam, even if the exam lasts for less than two hours. Once all exams have been collected by Dr. Williams, students will be allowed to converse with each other, study for their next IB Exams, read for pleasure, do homework, or engage in some other quiet activity. However, they will not be allowed to access their cell phones or any other electronic communication device until the two-hour supervision period has ended. There will be adult supervision of the students the whole time they are in that exam room, either by Dr. Williams, Mrs. Williams, or another IB Faculty Member. If you have any questions about this new IB policy, please contact Dr. Williams and/or, even better, come to the Rickards Cafeteria on Thursday, March 6, at 5:30 pm, for our annual Testing Information Night to learn about all the standardized tests being given at Rickards this year. Dr. Williams will discuss this year’s IB Exam Session at the event.

IB Senior Celebration: All parents of 2025 IB Seniors who are interested in serving on the planning committee for the 2025 IB Senior Celebration, please contact Dr. Williams by email at williamsj@leonschools.net to RSVP for our first planning meeting, which will be held in the Rickards Media Center this Tuesday, March 4, at 6 pm. Dr. Williams looks forward to meeting with parents interested in serving on the planning committee to allow everyone to see the IB Senior Celebration Parent Notebook and help you start planning for this year’s celebration before spring break. Also, if you are a parent of an IB Junior, you are welcome to participate in this committee. Parents of IB Juniors have helped with senior celebrations in the past to plan more effectively their own student’s senior celebration the following year. Parents of older siblings who have helped plan previous IB Senior Celebrations are also welcome to attend and share their perspectives and ideas.

National Merit Finalists: Congratulations to our seven 2024-2025 National Merit Finalists, Sukeerth Goly, Viswambhar Janapati, Shravan Kambham, Vaneesha Sinha, Bhargava Tatineni, Haasini Yelugoti, and Olivia Zeng! This year, there are more National Merit Finalists at Rickards than at any other Tallahassee High School. We are very proud of these amazing young scholars for this prestigious academic accomplishment and wish them continued success in the scholarship competition.

Assessments due next week for IB Seniors: The following assessments must be uploaded before spring break starts for all IB seniors: Extended Essay and reflections, TOK Essay and reflections, and the English HL Essay. Additionally, students testing out this year in the following subjects must submit final versions of the following assessments for uploading to IB next week: Latin HL Composition, Film Textual Analysis (both HL and SL), Music Exploring Music in Context (HL and SL), and Visual Arts Comparative Study (both HL and SL). Thank you for encouraging your IB Senior to meet these essential graduation requirements!

IB and AP Exams to be held at TSC again in May 2025: We have received confirmation from Tallahassee State College that they will again host our IB and AP Exams this spring, and we are grateful for their support and partnership as they continue to encourage and facilitate student success at James S. Rickards High School.

Current Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible so Mrs. Cooper can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

IB Senior Celebration: All parents of 2025 IB Seniors who are interested in serving on the planning committee for the 2025 IB Senior Celebration, please contact Dr. Williams by email at williamsj@leonschools.net. Dr. Williams would like to meet with parents interested in serving on the planning committee before the Thanksgiving break so the IB Senior Celebration Parent Notebook can be passed along to this year’s committee and plans can be started for this year’s celebration. Also, if you are a parent of an IB Junior, you are welcome to participate in this committee. Parents of IB Juniors have helped with senior celebrations in the past in order to plan more effectively their own student’s senior celebration the following year. Parents of older siblings who have helped plan previous IB Senior Celebrations are also welcome to attend and share their perspectives and ideas.

Congratulations to our seven 2024-2025 National Merit Semifinalists, Sukeerth Goly, Viswambhar Janapati, Shravan Kambham, Vaneesha Sinha, Bhargava Tatineni, Haasini Yelugoti, and Olivia Zeng! Out of approximately 1.3 million high school juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT Exam in October 2023, these seven Rickards IB students scored among the top 16,000 students. This year, there are more National Merit Semifinalists at Rickards than at any other Tallahassee High School. We are very proud of these amazing young scholars for this prestigious academic accomplishment and wish them the best of luck in the scholarship competition.

May 2024 IB Exam Session Highlights: Our 2023-2024 IB seniors and juniors did well this past year in their overall IB Exam results. 31 out of 53 (58%) of our IB Diploma Candidates (Class of 2024 IB Diploma Program Seniors) earned an IB Diploma. Our overall IB Exam pass rate (4 or higher out of a possible 7) for all 113 students who took IB Exams was even better, at 69%. The average points earned by those passing the diploma was 29 out of a possible 45 points (24 is the minimum passing score), and the average grade obtained by candidates who passed the diploma was 4.57 points out of a possible 7. The highest point total earned was 38.

2024 IB Diplomas and Transcripts are in: The 2024 IB Diplomas and IB Transcripts have arrived from Cardiff, Wales, UK. 2024 IB graduates or their parents can pick them up from Dr. Williams in the front office at Rickards. Please email or call ahead so Dr. Williams can leave your IB Diploma and/or IB Transcript at the front office for you in case he is not available when you come to campus.

IB Senior Celebration: Thank you to the parents who have attended our IB Senior Celebration Planning Committee Meetings. Our next IB Senior Celebration Committee Meeting will be by Zoom on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 6 p.m., https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83356722446, Meeting ID: 833 5672 2446

Please sign up for the Celebration Potluck on Sign Up Genius at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A45A5AD23A31-49302814-ibgraduation We still need volunteers to help set up and clean up after the celebration and donations for prizes and faculty gifts. If you can help, please email the committee at ibrhsgrad2024@gmail.com

IB Senior Celebration: Thank you to the parents who have attended our IB Senior Celebration Planning Committee Meetings. Our next meeting will take place at the Starbucks at 960 Gainsborough Ln., Tallahassee, FL 32311 (near Southwood) on April 23, 2024, at 6 pm. We still would like more parents to serve on the committee, and all parents of IB Seniors are invited to attend. Please contact Dr. Williams as soon as possible if you are interested in serving on the committee, even if you are unable to attend the next meeting.

The date, time, and location for the 2024 IB Senior Celebration have been set. The IB Senior Celebration will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 6 -9 p.m. at the Gujarati Samaj at the Banquet Facilities at Samaj at 9100 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, FL 32311. It will be a potluck dinner with music, awards/recognitions, photobooth, T-shirts, and fellowship. It will be open to all IB faculty, administration, IB DP seniors, and their families.

IB Senior Celebration: Thank you to the parents who came to our initial IB Senior Celebration Planning Committee Meeting Tuesday. Our next meeting will take place at 6 pm, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 3194 Dunbar Lane, Tallahassee, Florida 32311 (in Southwood). We still would like more parents to serve on the committee, and all parents of IB Seniors are invited to attend. Please contact Dr. Williams as soon as possible if you are interested in serving on the committee, even if you are unable to attend the next meeting.

ALL IB Extended Essays, TOK Essays, English HL Essays, and early External Assessments for Fine and Performing Arts and HL Latin students have been submitted to IB for assessment. Please make sure your IB Seniors (and IB Juniors who are taking IB Exams this year) have submitted the final versions of their Internal Assessments to their teachers so they can be graded in time to meet IB’s submission deadlines. Thank you to all parents of IB Seniors and Juniors for helping us make sure our students meet these mandatory assessment requirements!

Updated Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached, revised, most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. Approved resolutions of IB Exam conflicts for individual students are highlighted on this chart. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible so we can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

IB Senior Celebration: All parents of 204 IB Seniors who are interested in serving on the planning committee for the 2024 IB Senior Celebration, please contact Dr. Williams by email at williamsj@leonschools.net. Dr. Williams will have a meeting for parents interested in serving on this year’s committee this coming Tuesday, April 2^nd, at 6 pm in the Rickards Media Center, so the IB Senior Celebration Parent Notebook can be passed along to this year’s committee and plans can be started for this year’s celebration. Also, if you are a parent of an IB Junior, you are welcome to participate in this committee. Parents of IB Juniors have helped with senior celebrations in the past in order to plan more effectively their own student’s senior celebration the following year. Parents of older siblings who have helped plan previous IB Senior Celebrations are also welcome to attend and share their perspectives and ideas. Please contact Dr. Williams as soon as possible if you are interested in serving on the committee but cannot attend our initial planning meeting.

ALL IB Extended Essays, TOK Essays, English HL Essays, and early External Assessments for Fine and Performing Arts and HL Latin students have been submitted to IB for assessment. Please make sure your IB Seniors (and IB Juniors who are taking IB Exams this year) have submitted the final versions of their Internal Assessments to their teachers, so they can be graded in time to meet IB’s submission deadlines. Thank you to all parents of IB Seniors and Juniors for helping us make sure our students meet these mandatory assessment requirements!

Updated Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached, revised, most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. Approved resolutions of IB Exam conflicts for individual students are highlighted on this chart. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible, so we can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

To all parents and family members of our IB and Pre-IB Students: Have a wonderful Spring Break!

IB Senior Celebration: All parents of 204 IB Seniors who are interested in serving on the planning committee for the 2024 IB Senior Celebration, please contact Dr. Williams by email at williamsj@leonschools.net. Dr. Williams would like to schedule a preliminary planning meeting as soon after spring break as possible to discuss how we can honor this year’s seniors and so the IB Senior Celebration Parent Notebook can be passed along to this year’s committee. Also, if you are a parent of an IB Junior, you are welcome to participate in this committee. Parents of IB Juniors have helped with senior celebrations in the past in order to plan their own students' senior celebrations more effectively the following year. Parents of older siblings who have helped plan previous IB Senior Celebrations are also welcome to attend and share their perspectives and ideas. Please contact Dr. Williams as soon as possible so we can set up an initial planning meeting.

Congratulations to IB Seniors Navya Kommu and Laxmi McGuire for advancing to the finalist stage in the National Merit Scholarship competition! We wish both these amazing young women the best of luck in the final round of the competition.

Congratulations to IB Junior Nishi Nandineni for being selected as a delegate to Florida Girls State! We are proud of her and are sure she will represent us well in this prestigious summer program.

Current Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. Approved resolutions of IB Exam conflicts for individual students are highlighted on this chart. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible so we can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered through specific guidelines from Collegeboard and with permission from Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

2023 IB Diplomas and Transcripts are in: The 2023 IB Diplomas and IB Transcripts have arrived from Cardiff, Wales, UK. 2023 IB graduates or their parents can pick them up from Dr. Williams in the front office at Rickards. Please email or call ahead so Dr. Williams can leave your IB Diploma and/or IB Transcript at the front office for you, in case he is not available when you come to campus. Shadowing for 8^th grade students interested in joining our IB Program next year is underway. Parents of 8^th grade students who want their child to spend a day shadowing a 9^th-grade Rickards IB student need to complete the attached IB Shadowing Form and contact Mrs. Williams, our IB Academic Dean, at 850-414-5597 or williamsv3@leonschools.net to schedule a shadowing visit.

Completed applications for Girls State (with essay and letter of recommendation) should be sent to Dr. Williams at williamsj@leonschools.net before February 7^th so he can review them before official submission. There is no limit on the number of girls from Rickards who can apply for Girls State, but applications do need to be reviewed by Dr. Williams before being officially submitted to our local Girls State Chairperson.

Completed applications for Boys State must be emailed to Dr. Williams at williamsj@leonschools.net by 3 pm, February 9^th, as each school is only allowed to nominate two students for Boys State, and Dr. Williams needs time to review applications before submitting the names of our two nominees to our local Boys State Chairman.

Florida Boys State and Florida Girls State Applications due February 9^th.

Please see the attached application information for Florida Girls State and Florida Boys State. Interested students should contact Dr. Williams for more details, and applications (with essay and letter of recommendation) should be sent to Dr. Williams at williamsj@leonschools.net before February 7^th so he can review them before the official submission.

Thank you to everyone who came to our IB Open House on January 16^th!

Shadowing for 8^th grade students interested in joining our IB Program next year is underway. Parents of 8^th grade students who want their child to spend a day shadowing a 9^th-grade Rickards IB student need to complete the attached IB Shadowing Form and contact Mrs. Williams, our IB Academic Dean, at 850-414-5597 or williamsv3@leonschools.net to schedule a shadowing appointment. Shadowing appointments must be scheduled in advance with Mrs. Williams.

Current Draft of AP and IB Exam Chart Attached: Please see the attached most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. Approved resolutions of IB Exam conflicts for individual students are highlighted on this chart. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible so we can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

IB Exam Registrations Completed: All IB Seniors and IB Juniors have been registered for their May 2024 Exams. Dr. Williams is in the process of distributing to the students their exam registration confirmations and information they need to log in to candidates.ibo.org – both to submit any IB external assessments due for them this year and to see their IB Exam results when they are released to students on July 6^th, 2024.

IB and AP Exams to be held at TCC again in May 2024: We have received confirmation from Tallahassee Community College that they will again host our IB and AP Exams this spring, and we are grateful for their support and partnership as they continue to encourage and facilitate student success at James S. Rickards High School.

2023 IB Diplomas and Transcripts are in: The 2023 IB Diplomas and IB Transcripts have arrived from Cardiff, Wales, UK. 2023 IB graduates or their parents can pick them up from Dr. Williams in the front office at Rickards. Please email or call ahead so Dr. Williams can leave your IB Diploma and/or IB Transcript at the front office for you, in case he is not available when you come to campus. Happy New Year! We are glad to welcome our IB students back to school for the start of the spring 2024 semester.

IB Open House: Our annual Rickards High School IB Open House will take place on January 16, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in the Rickards Cafeteria, showcasing all IB academic areas and program progressions, electives, extracurricular activities, and sports. This IB Open House will help parents of incoming 9^th grade IB students guide their children in choosing their classes for the 2024-2025 school year. Please reach out to anyone you know who is the parent of an 8^th grade student who is interested in our IB Program and encourage them to attend this event.

Shadowing for 8^th grade students interested in joining our IB Program next year starts next week. Parents of 8^th grade students who want their child to spend a day shadowing a 9^th-grade Rickards IB student need to complete the attached IB Shadowing Form and contact Mrs. Williams, our IB Academic Dean, at 850-414-5597 or williamsv3@leonschools.net to schedule a shadowing appointment. Shadowing appointments must be scheduled in advance with Mrs. Williams.

Please see the attached most current draft of the combined AP and IB Exam Schedule. Approved resolutions of IB Exam conflicts for individual students are highlighted on this chart. If your IB student has a schedule conflict between any IB and AP Exams – or between any AP Exams and an EOC, FAST, or other mandatory statewide assessment – please notify both Mrs. Melissa Cooper and Dr. Williams by email as soon as possible, so we can schedule your student for a Late AP Exam. Late AP Exams are only offered with permission from Mrs. Melissa Cooper, our AP Coordinator.

IB and AP Exams are to be held at TCC again in May 2024: We have received confirmation from Tallahassee Community College that they will again host our IB and AP Exams this spring, and we are grateful for their support and partnership as they continue to encourage and facilitate student success at James S. Rickards High School. Dr. Williams is still awaiting confirmation from the IB Assessment Office of his rescheduling request to resolve internal conflicts for our students within the official IB Exam schedule, and once that confirmation is received, we will post the combined IB and AP Exam schedule for parents on this listserv and distribute it to teachers and students via email and

IB Coordinator Meetings and IB Teacher Workshops next week: Dr. Williams and Mrs. Melissa Cooper will be attending statewide IB Coordinator meetings in St. Pete, Florida, early next week, and Mrs. G. Cooper and Mr. O’Malley will be attending IB Workshops in St. Pete during the second half of the week in their IB subject areas (English Literature and Theory of Knowledge, respectively). If you need assistance with any IB-related inquiries early next week, please reach out to Mrs. Williams using the contact information listed above.

Welcome back to the 2023-2024 school year! We all look forward to another successful year and welcome your cooperation and participation as we strive to continue and build upon the achievements of our IB Program.

Our entire IB Administrative Team is back this year, and our offices are still in the main administration building.

Here are our phone numbers and email addresses where you can reach us:

Dr. Joe Williams, IB Coordinator (850-414-5036) - williamsj@leonschools.net
Mrs. Melissa Cooper, AP Coordinator and Assistant IB Coordinator (850-414-5005) - coopere@leonschools.net
Mrs. Victoria Williams, IB Academic Dean (850-414-5597) - williamsv3@leonschools.net

May 2023 IB Exam Session Highlights: Our 2022-2023 IB seniors and juniors did well this past year in their overall IB Exam results. 40 out of 66 (61%) of our IB Diploma Candidates (Class of 2023 IB Diploma Program Seniors) earned an IB Diploma. Our overall IB Exam pass rate (4 or higher out of a possible 7) for all 124 students who took IB Exams was even better, at 71%. The average points earned by those passing the diploma was 30 out of a possible 45 points (24 is the minimum passing score), and the average grade obtained by candidates who passed the diploma was 4.69 points out of a possible 7. The highest point total earned was 39.

2023 IB Diplomas and Transcripts are in: The 2023 IB Diplomas and IB Transcripts just arrived from Cardiff, Wales, UK this week. 2023 IB graduates or their parents can pick them up from Dr. Williams in the front office at Rickards. Please email or call ahead so Dr. Williams can leave your IB Diploma and/or IB Transcript at the front office for you, in case he is not available when you come to campus.

Here are our phone numbers and email addresses where you can reach our IB Administrative Team:

Dr. Joe Williams, IB Coordinator (850-414-5036) williamsj@leonschools.net
Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, AP Coordinator and Assistant IB Coordinator (850-414-5005) coopere@leonschools.net
Mrs. Victoria Williams, IB Academic Dean (850-414-5597) williamsv3@leonschools.net

Thank you parents for transporting your children to TCC for their IB and AP Exams. We appreciate your flexibility as we strived to provide an optimal testing environment for the students. We look forward to seeing our graduating seniors and parents at convocation and graduation!

Thank you to all the students and parents who attended our IB CAS Recognition Night! Any IB Seniors who were unable to attend and did not pick up their IB Alumni pins and graduation stoles need to contact Dr. Williams to schedule a time pick up their items.

IB/AP Exam Schedule: Please see the attached IB/AP Exam Schedule for May 2023. TCC is graciously hosting our IB and AP Exams this month, and we are grateful to them for their continuing support of our school and our students! Please see the attached map for directions to the specific building in which we’ll be testing and the parking lot students and parents should use during IB and AP exams. IB students need to remember that they must complete all IB Exam Papers for the subjects in which they are taking their exams this year

Change of Date: IB CAS Recognition Night: Parents of IB Seniors, IB Juniors, and Pre-IB Sophomores are invited to attend our annual Title 1 IB CAS Recognition Night on Tuesday, April 11, from 6 pm to 7 pm, in the Rickards Auditorium. IB Seniors will be recognized for their completion of their CAS requirements; IB juniors will be inducted into IB Diploma Candidacy; and Pre-IB sophomores will be recognized for their transition from Pre-IB to IB status.

If you have an eighth grade student who is interested in shadowing a current Pre-IB student, please complete the attached form and submit it to Mrs. Williams, our IB Academic Dean (contact information above) so that she can schedule a shadowing day for your student. Opportunities for shadowing will continue through March 1^st.

IB Open House: If you are the parent or guardian of an 8^th grade student, or if you have friends who are parents or guardians of an 8^th grade student, please save the date on your calendar for our IB Open House, which will take place in the Rickards Cafeteria from 6 pm to 7 pm on Thursday, January 19, 2023. This is our biggest recruiting event for our IB Program each year, and we welcome all 8^th grade students and their families to come to our campus to learn more about our IB Program, meet our IB Teachers and Administrators, and discover the many wonderful opportunities available to our students.

QuestBridge Scholars Announced: Please join me in congratulating IB seniors Omar Hernandez and Jenna Jeon. Both have been named QuestBridge Scholars and have been awarded full scholarships to attend Dartmouth College (Jenna) and Vanderbilt University (Omar)! We are proud of these outstanding young scholars and how well they represent our school and our IB Program.

2022 IB Diplomas and Transcripts are in: The 2022 IB Diplomas and IB Transcripts have arrived from Cardiff, Wales, UK. 2022 IB graduates or their parents can pick them up from Dr. Williams in the front office at Rickards. Please email or call ahead so Dr. Williams can leave your IB Diploma and/or IB Transcript at the front office for you, in case he is not available when you come to campus.

IB/AP Exam Schedule: Please see the attached most recent draft of our IB/AP Exam Schedule for May 2023. TCC has once again graciously agreed to host our IB and AP Exams this spring, and we are grateful to them for their continuing support of our school and our students! Please come out to our Title 1 Parent Testing Workshop in the Rickards Media Center on December 7^th (5:30 – 7:00 pm) for more information.

IB Seniors: 2023 Best and Brightest Awards Applications are available now! Please go to this link to download the application and find more information about this annual awards program (http://wcsleon.com/bestandbrightest/). Last year, Rickards had five students win 1^st place and four students win 2^nd place in their respective categories. A Rickards student also won the overall Spirit of the Best and Brightest Award. You can apply for more than one category on a single application. Completed applications are due to our Guidance Department Chair, Ms. Jones (jonest@leonschools.net) by November 28^th, 2022. There is a recommendation letter requirement, so make sure that you notify the faculty member whom you want to write your recommendation at least two weeks before you plan to submit your application.

The My College Resource Virtual College Fair that was supposed take place on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, for FLIBS member schools (this includes James S. Rickards High School) and their students has been rescheduled, due to Hurricane Ian, for Tuesday, October 11, 2022. You are invited to this event planned exclusively for Florida Pre-IB and IB students, and the link on the attached flyer is still the link you can use to join this event.

The College Fair will feature Florida State University System colleges and private colleges and universities in Florida. Students and parents must register (see hot link on flyer) and will be able to attend three sessions. Colleges will be grouped in breakout rooms, so be prepared with questions. There will be no formal presentation, and representatives will know they are talking specifically to Pre-IB and IB students and parents.

My College Resource will host two sessions for parents on supporting students through the application process in separate breakout rooms.

It's never too early to gather more information about Florida colleges, so join us on October 11 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Please see the attached IB Virtual College Fair Flyer for the registration link.

Our Annual IB Senior College Application Day will take place at Rickards on Thursday, October 13. IB Seniors will spend the day in the Rickards Cafeteria working on their college applications. Representatives from the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices at FAMU, FSU, and TCC will be there, along with our IB Administrative Team and Guidance Counselors, to help students and answer their questions.

Please join me in congratulating our seven National Merit Semifinalists: Abhinav Balaji, Tanmay Haldiya, Annika Lagy, Ananya Mundrathi, Sruthi Sentil, Karthik Vedula, and Eric Zeng! These outstanding scholars will now complete an extensive application that will qualify them to advance to finalist status and possibly earn $2,500 scholarships. This is a tremendous accomplishment, and we are proud of these IB seniors!

We also congratulate our National Merit Commended Students: Harshil Dalvaigari, Shubham Dixit, Jenna Jeon, Angela Liang, Nitishsai Nandineni, Alexander Piroth, Faith Register, Emily Taylor, and Akhil Walia! Though these students will not continue further in the National Merit Scholarship competition, they deserve commendation for being one of the 50,000 highest scorers of the approximately 1.5 million 11^th-grade students who took the PSAT/NMSQT Exam last fall. We are proud of our National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars for representing Rickards and the academic excellence we foster at our school

My College Resource has organized a Virtual College Fair that will take place on Tuesday, September 27, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, for FLIBS member schools (this includes James S. Rickards High School) and their students. You are invited to this event planned exclusively for Florida Pre-IB and IB students.

The College Fair will feature Florida State University System colleges and private colleges and universities in Florida. Students and parents must register (see the hot link on the flyer) and will be able to attend three sessions. Colleges will be grouped in breakout rooms, so be prepared with questions. There will be no formal presentation, and representatives will know they are talking specifically to Pre-IB and IB students and parents.

My College Resource will host two sessions for parents on supporting students through the application process in separate breakout rooms.

It's never too early to gather more information about Florida colleges, so join us Sept. 27 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Please click the link IB Virtual College Fair Flyer for registration.

Our Annual IB Senior College Application Day will take place at Rickards on Thursday, October 13. IB Seniors will spend the day in the Rickards Cafeteria working on their college applications. Representatives from the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices at FAMU, FSU, and TCC will be there, along with our IB Administrative Team and Guidance Counselors, to help students and answer their questions.

IB Junior CAS Assembly: Our CAS Assembly for IB Juniors will take place on Monday, September 12, 2022, in the Rickards Auditorium, during 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th periods. Students will learn all about their IB CAS requirements, including how to use ManageBac to document and reflect on their CAS experiences.

May 2022 IB Exam Session Highlights: Our 2021-2022 IB seniors and juniors did very well this past year in their overall IB Exam results. 38 out of 56 (68%) of our IB Diploma Candidates (Class of 2022 IB Diploma Program Seniors) earned an IB Diploma. Our overall IB Exam pass rate (4 or higher out of a possible 7) for all 135 students who took IB Exams was even better, at 78%. Additionally, one of our Class of 2022 IB Graduates scored 44 out of a possible 45 points on his IB Exams – the highest individual point total for a Rickards IB graduate!

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year! We all look forward to another successful year and welcome your cooperation and participation as we strive to continue and build upon the achievements of our IB Program.

Two-thirds of our IB Administrative Team is brand new this year, but our offices are still in the main administration building. We welcome Mrs. Melissa Cooper and Mrs. Victoria Williams to our IB Administrative Team! Both are experienced Rickards educators, and we are excited about the valuable experience and skills they bring to our IB Program.

Here are our phone numbers and email addresses where you can reach us:

Dr. Joe Williams, IB Coordinator (850-414-5036) williamsj@leonschools.net

Mrs. E. Melissa Cooper, AP Coordinator and Assistant IB Coordinator (850-414-5005) coopere@leonschools.net

Mrs. Victoria Williams, IB Academic Dean (850-414-5597) williamsv3@leonschools.net

We welcome all our Rickards students back to campus this school year. Just like all other Leon County Schools, we continue to use CANVAS this year as our primary online tool for curriculum delivery in order to minimize the number of different websites students have to go to in order to communicate with their teachers and access their online learning materials. Students still need to use FOCUS to keep track of their official grades and attendance in each of their classes.

For our IB juniors and seniors, we are still using ManageBac to keep track of CAS progress and document CAS experiences and reflections, and we will still use ManageBac to upload all Extended Essay documents and keep track of student progress on their EEs. IB Juniors will receive access to this portal soon and will receive training on how to use it.

We look forward to a safe and productive 2022-2023 school year and welcome your input and feedback as we seek to ensure our students’ academic success.