EdFest Takeover “IB Style”

Story by Mary Donaldson. Photo by Olivia Leslie. FNN Woodridge Bureau.

JAN. 7, 2016: Parents and Children swarmed the Woodridge booth at the DC Armory on Saturday, December 12, when temperatures usually are far below thirty degrees. But this past week, a surprisingly winter weekend hit record temperatures of 77 degrees. Over a thousand parents, teachers, students, and administrators came to explore the city’s many public school options for PK3 through 12th grade. Parents asked questions such as:  What curriculum does your school offer? Where exactly are you located? What extracurricular activities are available? How is your school different by being IB? How long has your school been Tier 1? What is the number of students, and what’s the student to teacher ratio?

This year the Friendship Woodridge International booth was jammed packed with prospective parents who were “school shopping” for the best school possible for their children.  If you didn’t already know Woodridge is now an IB school. What does IB mean? If you must ask, IB means International Baccalaureate. An International Baccalaureate school aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring beings among today’s youth who strive to create and better the world. Woodridge’s staff and the Lady Eagles represented in a major way by showing up in large numbers and displaying our school spirit. During the middle of Edfest, adults and children alike came together to watch as the Lady Eagles performed several energetic cheers such “E Street” and “We’re nothing but the Best” in their loudest voices. At the end of the day, it pretty much felt like we were the best with over forty families signed up for our school’s Open House which will begin later this week.

Mary Donaldson and Olivia Leslie are 8th grade scholars at Friendship Woodridge Academy.