Patterson Elementary School selected for prestigious international program
Lucie Flagg
Posted 6/21/22
Gilbert Public Schools announced June 21 that Patterson Elementary School was recently chosen as a candidate for the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme.
This program, which …
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This program, which was introduced internationally in 1997 for students aged 3-12, prioritizes a student-centered education with the goal of raising globally-minded children.
The Primary Years Programme will promote critical thinking and group discussions in the school environment. They want students to have a say in their own education practices.
“We understand this is an infinite game,” Lucas Blackburn, principal of Patterson Elementary, said in a recent press release. “We’ve adopted this continuing and never-ending improvement approach.”
Educators and school staff are expected to complete training in July, which will prepare them for the implementation of the program in the 2022-23 academic year.
As the program commences, Patterson will continue to work toward becoming a fully-recognized International Baccalaureate school. This will grant students more opportunities to complete community service projects and take classes in the school’s Makerspace.
While the program is set to begin during the next school year, the press release emphasized that the elementary school’s curriculum will not be changing.
“It’s more important now than ever before that we engage the students, and we make sure they have a connection to the world that we live in,” Blackburn said.
