The

Advocate
Official Newsletter of the St. Petersburg High School International Baccalaureate Program •Fall 2012

SPHS TOPS IN COUNTY IN

NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS
Seven SPHS seniors, all IB students, were named as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists by the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation. They will be eligible to compete for more than 8,300 scholarships
valued at $34 million that will be offered next spring.
The semifinalists were selected from a pool of 1.5 million high school students taking the 2011
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. These winners represent less than one percent of the total United
States 2013 graduating seniors.
Additionally, another 12 IB seniors
were named as Commended Students
for their academic promise. Although
they will not continue in the 2013
competition for National Merit
Scholarships, Commended Students
placed among the top five percent of
more than 1.5 million students who
took the 2011 PSAT. They are: Jenna
Dolan; Whitney Essman; Eliza Fixler;
Hannah Gerke; Kimberly Leshko;
Courtney Lewis; Adam Miller; Blake
Noyes; Alexis Rosenthal; Noelle
Rutland; Tiffany Wood and
(l. to r.) Caroline Wallace, Solomon Howard, Brent Begany, Emile Bautista,
Kathryn Canney.
Emily Chittick, Teodotas Kursevicius, Shreya Nirmalan, Eric Mulligan

NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP

SEMIFINALISTS
IB Seniors Jaila Johnson and Ike Okonkwo have been named
semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.
Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the
highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up each region.
Just 1600 students nationwide achieved this honor out of the more than
160,000 African Americans who requested consideration for the
program when they took the 2011 PSAT. Jaila and Ike are now eligible to
compete for approximately 800 scholarships to be awarded next spring.
 Message from the Director
From the IB Coordinator
I would like to welcome our freshman class to St. Pete High and welcome back the sophomores, juniors and
seniors!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the IB Program at St. Pete High, the first school in Florida to be
authorized by the IB! Don Driskell, the first IB Coordinator, was instrumental in bringing the Program to St. Pete
High. I am now honored to be the Coordinator of this prestigious program, and I am a true believer in the value of
an IB education.
Before becoming Coordinator in 2006, I taught IB Psychology and Inquiry Skills for nine years, so I know
from various perspectives that this program offers students a world-class education! I am excited to
announce that 92% of the students in the Class of 2012 earned their IB Diploma, an impressive passage rate
and one of our highest ever. Our teachers continue to do an excellent job preparing students for these exams.
Homecoming Week, the first big event the freshmen experience, is traditionally a week filled with school
spirit and excitement. Each day is a designated dress-up day and we have lots of participation from our
students and teachers! This year, however, we did have a serious incident that took place during lunch in the
junior courtyard. Many students brought paint to school and had a “paint fight” which in turn damaged the
courtyard. I was very upset and disappointed to discover that many of the students involved were our IB
students.
This type of behavior is not acceptable. It is a privilege to be in this Program and IB students are held to a
higher standard of behavior. Unfortunately, our teachers have actually heard IB students bragging about
their participation in this activity. So parents, please talk to your students about this incident and stress that
this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
As the IB Coordinator and Assistant Principal, I am responsible for all aspects of the Program, from
recruiting new students to ordering and administering the IB exams and everything in between. If you have
any concerns about your experience here please feel free to contact me at Fariass@pcsb.org or by phone at
893-1842 ext 2012. My office is located in Room 157. I will address all your concerns.
Also, please consider joining the IB Boosters and getting involved in one of their committees. In February
the Boosters will sponsor the IB Pinning Ceremony for the junior class and Mrs. La' Tina Johnson, the IB
Counselor, and I will also be hosting a meeting for parents of sophomores to learn more about choosing their
high level and standard level classes.
I'm here to help, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Susan Farias
Assistant Principal, St. Petersburg High School
International Baccalaureate Program/Advanced Placement

The IB Mission
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create
a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works
with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international
education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active,
compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
2012 HOMECOMING COURT
Congratulations to IB seniors Ike Okonkwo and Paula Jernigan, who were crowned King and Queen of the
Homecoming Court. Other IB seniors on the court were: Megan Towzey, Jenna Esposito, Keaton Green,
Breanna Broughton, Jackie Mosher, Sam Chandler, Sai Chandrasekaran, Bobby Sulte, Austin Kadau and
Charles Kennedy.

SENIOR SUPERLATIVES
Also during Homecoming Week, the following students received Senior Superlative awards:
*denotes IB student

Mr. and Miss SPHS .......................Ike Okonkwo* and Megan Towzey*

All America .......................Bobby Sulte* and Amanda McAllister*
Most Likely to Succeed .......................Ryan Mockabee* and Jaila Johnson*
Most Athletic .......................Sam Chandler* and Erin Waterman
Most Memorable .......................Charles Kennedy* and Erica Alexis
Most Spirited .......................Daniel Robles and Taylor Allums*
Most Talented .......................Justin Downey and Claire McQueen*

AP SCHOLARS
The following IB students were recognized for outstanding achievement on their Advanced Placement Exams:
AP Scholar
granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams:

Brent Begany Emily Chittick Jenna Dolan Manuel Gonzalez

Solomon Howard Jaila Johnson Harsha Kuchampudi Ted Kursevicius
Megan Lee Kimberly Leshko Nicole McQuillen Keenan Molaskey
Jasmine Morris Eric Mulligan Blake Noyes Vienna Quattry
Morgan Rhodes Alexis Rosenthal Sylvia Stankov Caroline Wallace
Jesse Wood Tiffany Wood

AP Scholar with Honor

granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken,
and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams:
Emile Bautista Melissa Franklin Molly Hellier Lekha Kuchampudi
Anthony Nguyen Shreya Nirmalan

AP Scholar with Distinction

granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of
3 or higher on five or more of these exams:
Deividas Gustainis Arjun Krishnaswami Gaurie Mittal Devan Patel
 Extended Essay Celebration
On September 10, 2012 the Class of 2013 celebrated completion of the
IB Extended Essay (EE) with cake and refreshments provided by the IB
Boosters. The EE is a 4000 word essay in which the students demonstrate
knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm on a topic of their choice. The
EE has often proven to be a valuable stimulus for discussion at college
interviews and/or applications.

ALUMNI NEWS
Haleigh Reddick, IB Class of 2012, was selected for the 2012 Pinellas County All-Academic Team. At
SPHS, she led the softball team to the conference championship game and was the team leader in hits,
stolen bases, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. She now attends the Honors College at the
University of Florida.
Ankitha Lingamaneni, IB Class of 2012, was awarded a Ronald A. Hammond full-tuition scholarship to
the University of Miami. The scholarship recognizes outstanding high school seniors who have shown
academic excellence, commitment to goals and community service.

FACULTY NEWS
IB Physics teacher Kyle Smith received a $500 Classroom Innovators Grant from Brighthouse Networks,
which he plans to dedicate to field trips. In addition to the annual Busch Gardens Physics Day, Mr. Smith
hopes to take students to visit Pinellas County Utilities, the Engineering Expo, and the Junior Science,
Engineering and Humanities Symposium.

FACULTY WISH LISTS

Our dedicated IB faculty provides our children with a top-notch education on a public school budgetnot
an easy task! But sometimes, there's that extra item or two they'd love to have to further enhance the
students' educational experience, but the budget simply won't cover it. Right now, our faculty would be
thrilled to be able to obtain the following items:
Biology: Biozone Super Bundle for IB-- $999.95; Anatomy & Physiology CD set for IB $449.95
Physics: printer ink, batteries, Labs -- $30-200 each
Psychology: books, video series -- $18-170 each
Spanish: Office supplies, Spanish books & magazines, English-Spanish dictionaries
English: Office supplies, printer ink, DVDs
History: Office supplies, printer ink, printer with scanner
IB Office: scanner
ITGS: blank CDs, binding combs
This is where your membership in the IB Boosters organization really helps! Or, if you can contribute
directly toward the purchase of any of these items, please contact the IB Office. Thank you!
 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
IB Parents, do you know that the IB Boosters have a Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/groups/SPHSIBBoosters?
Please visit for information on upcoming events, student opportunities, and other IB news.

Also, please let us know if there are any programs or events you would like us to present for IB Parents. We are
open to all suggestions! You may comment on the Facebook page, or contact IB Boosters president Liz Abernethy
at Liz.Abernethy@Stantec.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

EVEN A LITTLE HELP GOES A LONG WAY!

Looking to get more involved in supporting your child's education, or wanting to meet more IB parents? Then
please consider joining one of the IB Booster committees. Many tasks involve only a small time commitment, yet
they can make a big difference. For more information on any committee and ways in which you can help based on
your schedule and availability, please contact the committee chairs below:

Hospitality/Events: .........................Cindee Connon..............................cconnon@tampabay.rr.com

Communications: ...............................Rebecca Connelly.........................becky.connelly@verizon.net
Proctoring and/or Pinning: ...........Sandra Rosenthal.........................arosenth@tampabay.rr.com
Senior Celebration: ...........................Julie DelVecchio ............................scottdelvecchio@earthlink.com

HELP KEEP EVERYONE HEALTHY

As cold and flu season approaches, our teachers are thankful for any donations you can provide of tissues
and large pump bottles of hand sanitizer. Small candies are also appreciated. Donations may be dropped
off at the IB Office.

YOUNG ADULT SERVICE AWARD

IB Senior Adam Miller received the Young Adult Service Award from Catholic
Charities at its annual awards ceremony on August 16. For the past four years,
Adam has volunteered his time and efforts in serving meals and offering
assistance wherever needed at Pinellas Hope. Catholic Charities recognized Adam
for his time, efforts, and energy.

SAD NEWS TO SHARE

The IB Program lost a great friend on October 17 when Tammie Ballentine unexpectedly passed away. Tammie was
a past president of the IB Boosters and editor of The Advocate, and she continued to help the program even after she no
longer had children in IB. Tammie is survived by her husband, Jamie, and two daughters: Ali, IB Class of 2010, and
Amanda, SPHS Class of 2012. She will be greatly missed.
 DEBATE TEAM STARTS SEASON WITH SUCCESS
On October 13, the Green Devil Debate Team had its first big tournament of the year at North Port High
School. Eighteen SPHS debaters were among the almost 300 competitors, and did a fabulous job
representing St. Pete High. Please congratulate the following award winners:
* denotes IB student
First Place Best Speaker awards in Student Congress: Noelle Rutland* and Saagar Gupta*
Second Place, Student Congress: Ben Connelly* and Samuel Joyce*
Third Place, Student Congress: Taylor Allums*
Fourth Place, Student Congress: Caroline Wallace* and Emily Chittick*
Fifth Place, Student Congress: Kevin Solomon*
And in Lincoln Douglas, a complete sweep for SPHS:
First: Jared Morgenstein*
Second: Carl Plant*
Third: Alicia Drayton

MODEL UN TEAM MAKES IMPRESSIVE SHOWING

Seven of St. Pete High's M.U.N. team members (all 7 are in IB) competed in UCF's annual Knight M.U.N
conference on October 19-21 and won four awards, including:

Small Team (1st place for smaller delegations)

Best Position Paper - Kayla Shirley and Ashley Zhou
Best Position Paper - Emilie Vanneste
Outstanding Delegate (1st place) Emilie Vanneste

Other team members who attended are Haleigh Gray, Adela Lilollari, Ryan McGahan, and Reid Osterloth.

STUDENT AMBASSADORS TO JAPAN

The City of St Petersburg selected IB Seniors Solomon Howard and Hayden Grant as student ambassadors
to Takamatsu, Japan, the sister city of St Petersburg. The students spent three weeks in July living with
families, making presentations to city officials, touring, and attending school. (Solomon spent another week in
Tokyo following the city program and climbed Mt. Fuji!)
Both Hayden and Solomon said this was a life-changing trip for them. They have scores of photos to tell
their story, and recently presented some to the regular meeting of the St. Petersburg City Council. Both
are staying in touch with their host families and fellow students.
 GRADUATION DATE SET
Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. on Stewart Field!
Make-up date: Friday, June 7, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. on Stewart Field

Be Part of the Celebration!

The IB Senior Celebration marks the culmination of the IB students' years at SPHS. This special event
salutes their accomplishments, talents, and the journey they have taken together. The evening includes
dinner, a slide show, performances, and speakers.
Since the IB students are not formally recognized at graduation, the Senior Celebration is especially
important to them. However, the celebration cannot happen without the support of IB parents to help plan
and present the evening.
The Senior Celebration Committee needs your help to make this year's celebration a success. In
particular, this is a great opportunity for freshmen parents to become more involved in the IB program. But
volunteers from any grade level are needed and appreciated!
Volunteering for the Senior Celebration Committee does not mean you must be continually obligated
from now until next May. Instead, there are a variety of subcommittees to fit your schedule, and some even
involve working from home:

COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION SCHEDULE

Advertising Solicits advertisers for program; mails letters to businesses Oct. 2012-Mar. 2013
and senior parents; receives ads and coordinates placement Various hrs./mo. at home
with Written Program Committee.

Awards/Mugs Conducts senior T-shirt design contest; orders and prepares Jan. - May 2013
& Tees T-shirts for distribution; purchases senior ribbons and mugs;
handles award trophies and gifts.

Banquet Works with Coliseum, caterers, florists and other vendors on Sept. - Nov. 2012;
the site; plans meal, decorations and seating. Mar. - May 2013

Invitations Orders and mails invitations; receives RSVPs and works Feb. - May 2013
with Banquet Comm. on attendance numbers; performs
check-in at event

Oral Program Organizes presentations for the evening, including selection Spring 2013
of talent, stage direction, and backstage coordination;
helps with speakers.

Video Gathers and organizes digital photos for slideshow. Selects Slideshow-ongoing through
and works with videographer to produce and distribute DVD school year Video-Mar. -June
of Celebration. 2013.

Written Produces written program for Celebration, including printing Apr. - May, 2013
Program vendor selection and interface; works closely with Advertising.

Officer: Writes and distributes minutes of all meetings; maintains Monthly; 2-4 hours per
Secretary attendance roster month at home

If you can assist with the Senior Celebration in any way, no matter how small you think it might be, please contact
Committee Chair Julie DelVecchio at scottdelvecchio@earthlink.com. Help make the Senior Celebration 2013 an
evening our graduates will treasure.
 Non-Profit Organization
International Baccalaureate Program U.S. Postage
St. Petersburg Senior High School
2501 Fifth Avenue North PAID
Permit #5793
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
ST. PETERSBURG, FL

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