Dear Semiahmoo Secondary Students, Teachers, and Parents,

Since 1980, the International Baccalaureate program has served as a cornerstone of Semiahmoo Secondary, and has attracted talented and high-achieving students from Surrey and around the province. This IB program is now at risk. Grade 11 students currently taking IB Geography HL have just discovered that:

1. Geography HL will be CANCELLED in the 2025-2026 academic school year.
2. A significant number of Biology HL students are being asked to drop into a lower level course (SL).

Not only has there been no official announcement or address from the school’s administration or school board for a logistical change that fundamentally alters these students’ academic careers and potential to attend further education, no SD36 authority has stepped up to take ownership of this decision. The school has only informally let involved students, and not their parents or guardians, know on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 of the change to be made in the following school year.

THEREBY, WE ASK FOR YOUR HELP:

We ask that everybody who values the importance of education and the accountability of the school district sign and support this cause.

Currently, IB at Semiahmoo offers the following courses and structures:

1. IB is a TWO-YEAR CONTINUOUS COURSE. This means that the content taught over grades 11 and 12 are continuous and both tested in their final exams in grade 12.
2. Students must take 3 high school level advanced courses (SL) and 3 college level courses (HL) to graduate. These college level courses can be exchanged into university credits.
3. Students can only take 3 SL and 3 HL courses.
4. Semiahmoo already has a very limited selection of courses, which means limited combinations, including:
   1. Only HL Chemistry and Physics courses (Biology is offered in both HL and SL);
   2. Only 2 choices of humanities courses – Geography and History, currently offered in both HL and SL;
   3. Mandatory Math in both HL and SL;
   4. Mandatory English in both HL and SL;
   5. Mandatory second language course in SL (French or Spanish). 

This change would significantly negatively impact Semiahmoo’s IB program:

1. Current grade 11s in the graduating class of 2026 taking IB Geography HL will be forced to switch into other courses. This is significant considering the two-year structure of the IB program.
2. A fifth of current Biology HL students will be forced to drop into SL, when Biology HL is a university application requirement for many studies – especially those planning on pursuing medical professions.
3. A long-term narrowing of academic availability to Semiahmoo’s IB program, including complete exclusion of all students with aspirations in the field of social sciences and humanities, and many prospective lawyers, teachers, geographers, etc. due to the removal of Pathway 3 —  the humanities pathway with Geography HL — from the program.
4. Deletion of the only current affairs and globally-focused course in IB, and at Semiahmoo as a whole (Human Geography as a regular course was cancelled in the 2024-2025 school year and a return in the future is not anticipated). In a time where knowledge of global affairs is becoming increasingly important, we find it inappropriate and ill-considered to remove this course.

The grade 11 students most affected were NEVER informed of this possibility when they applied for this program, and as of writing, on April 8, 2025, the information has not been officially disclosed. However, the consequences are profound – it is evident that the school district has exhibited no consideration to the future success of its students.

With the sudden cancellation of Geography HL, SD36 leaves few options for students:

1. To switch to IB English HL, a course that is notoriously difficult for students to excel in. For the highly academic students of IB, many of whom aspire to apply to competitive post-secondary programs, this decision would be devastating to their future – on a 45 point scale, every point counts;
2. SD36 and the Semiahmoo school administration have proposed NO SOLUTION for students already taking both IB English HL and IB Geography HL.
   1. It is impossible to start another HL course in grade 12, having missed an entire year of curriculum.

This choice will have an incredibly negative effect on those currently taking IB Geography HL, as students will be required to either take a course that they did not choose or completely drop out. This should never be the concern of students already one year into an already stressful and challenging two-year program. For those forced to take Biology SL, they must either seek a secondary Biology course (like AP) outside of school, or drop out of IB entirely.

This also means that Pathway 3 – the only humanities pathway – will be entirely removed from Semiahmoo Secondary. Only three IB humanities courses are currently offered at Semiahmoo Secondary: IB English, IB Geography, and IB History. As of right now, all three courses are offered in both SL and HL. In order to take Pathway 3, IB students must take their three HL courses from the three existing humanities courses, so removing IB Geography HL as an option for Semiahmoo IB students will remove the option for IB students to take Pathway 3.

This decision will destroy an entire graduating IB class at Semiahmoo Secondary by making such an abrupt change. Nearly a quarter of the entire grade is being affected by the change. Affected students are left with no time to adjust their plans to pursue their career aspirations, as many universities typically have certain prerequisites for their undergraduate programs. This perpetuates a growing trend in academic institutions of prioritizing, and in this case, forcing humanities students to switch to other potential career aspects.

As an educational facility, it is the responsibility and duty of all educators involved to nurture and foster the interests and capabilities of all their students. It is the duty of educators to provide as many potential options and opportunities as they can to students. However, in this case, an entire branch of study is being eliminated from the program – with no apparent reason being given for such a change.

THE STUDENTS OF SEMIAHMOO IMPLORE THE FOLLOWING OF SD36:

1. To, at the MINIMUM, delay this change for one school year to be implemented to the incoming IB class, allowing the class of 2026 to graduate with what they were promised when they entered the program;
2. To explain to the affected parties the reasoning behind decisions made, and to disclose other articles of information that students, parents, and teachers who are gravely affected, have the right to know;
3. To rescind these decisions and continue to allow Semiahmoo to offer Geography HL as a course, and to guarantee all students are guaranteed their university-required courses.
4. To not change any of the courses of IB students any time during their two year diploma program without their complete and enthusiastic consent;
5. To be more transparent in their academic decisions and incorporate affected parties, like IB students and teachers, in future conversations;
6. To be open to engaging in discussion with Semiahmoo students, parents, and teachers in regards to potential solutions for the current dilemma, and to work towards considering amendments to the decision and devising a unanimous conclusion. 

It is imperative that, at the very least, the Class of 2026 is exempt from this decision so that current IB Geography HL students can take their 2026 May exams. We ask that this choice be made in order to minimize the impact that switching pathways halfway through the school year will have on students as IB is a two-year continuous course.

To avoid a similar problem from affecting the IB graduating class of 2027, we ask that greater transparency and further notice be given to future students in order to minimize the impact on students’ academic and occupational futures and allow them to make a more informed decision going into IB.

With great urgency, from this country’s youth and future leaders,

The Semiahmoo IB Class of 2026

If you would like to contact the IB Class of 2026, please contact:

Email: jessicayidi0852@yahoo.com