Twenty-three Nogales High School seniors who graduated in May garnered a prestigious International Baccalaureate diploma in addition to their regular diploma.

Of those, 13 students earned the bilingual IB diploma, which means they are highly proficient in both English and Spanish, NUSD Superintendent Fernando Parra announced at the July 12, 2021 governing board meeting. “This is the most students we have had in the history of the IB program earning diplomas.”.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment, and a testimony to not only the students, but also their parents and to all teachers who worked with these students throughout the school years,” said NUSD Supt. Fernando Parra.

Those earning the bilingual IB diploma were Sinayini Suarez, Sebastian Montijo-Gil, Pamela Salcido, Nicolas Fimbres, Natalia Bojorquez, Melisa Molina, Lynette Valenzuela, Juan Pablo Dabdoub, Diana Silva, Ameyally Perla, Alonso Ramirez, Cesar Verdugo, and Ivan Carrillo. 
Seniors earning the regular IB diploma were Srishti Mitra, Sean Garcia, Sabina Romero, Roberto Naff, Milan Booker, Luis Longorio, Karen Padilla, Juan Pablo Mimiaga, Andrea Robles, and Yashika Shaju.  .

Jennifer Valenzuela, the NHS Honors Coordinator, said, “These students successfully completed a 4,000 word individual extended essay, a Theory of Knowledge class, completed 10 community-service projects, and passed all six external exams.  With the completion of the program, and with the addition of some Advanced Placement courses, these students may have earned financial aid and in many cases, college credits toward their degrees.” .

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program became a hallmark of Nogales High School in 1988. While a relatively small number of students fulfill all the requirements to earn the IB diploma itself, there are large numbers who take a class or several classes to be prepared for college, Valenzuela said..

“Many students like to take this challenge, take the test, and get college credit.  This happens often in IB History, English, and Spanish A because these are the higher level courses,” Valenzuela said.  .