Kelly Boike, Fenton’s International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator since the year of 2005, has numerous roles within her occupation: IB Coordinator, Extended Essay Coordinator, DEEP Coordinator and Early/Middle College Coordinator.

“I’ve been an educator for 20 years, and I value lifelong learning and personal challenge,” Boike said. “When we challenge ourselves to do better, work harder, become stronger and learn more, then we experience personal growth, even if the result of the challenge isn’t what we might have expected. This applies to most aspects of life, but involvement in the IB program offers students the opportunity to challenge themselves in an educational setting.”

Boike previously taught several subjects before coming to Fenton. She values the opportunities and challenges the IB program offers for students.

“My job as a Post-Secondary Coordinator entails a lot of different responsibilities,” Boike said. “I’m also a DEEP coordinator, which is a dual enrollment partnership with the U of M-Flint. All that means is that we offer U of M-Flint classes to 11th and 12th graders and the instructors come here to teach them. I do all the organizing of a program and uploading assessment work onto websites. I work with kids on the social and emotional learning aspect, and college and career prep.”

Boike works not only with students during her day to day life, but also with the staff at the school.

“I get to work with students as they expand their knowledge base, develop critical thinking skills, and grow as students and individuals,” Boike said. “My hope is that I can provide a support system for students and teachers. IB courses can be challenging but very rewarding. Sometimes students need guidance about which courses to take or help with researching which colleges offer credit for IB scores. Our teachers are an incredibly valuable part of this process. They work really hard to implement IB curriculum and to provide instruction that meets the demands of the IB program. They do this because they are incredible professionals and because they care about our students.”

As the IB coordinator for the school, Boike’s job is to help inform students of the details of how the IB program works.

“Taking IB courses can definitely be beneficial for a student’s preparation for college and for life. The courses courses are academically rigorous, encouraging both breadth and depth of learning,” Boike said. “Additionally, IB courses are structured to promote inquiry, reflection, open-mindedness, and critical thinking. Students are encouraged to consider their own identities and their roles in the world around us.”

Boike helps the students navigate the programs she leads and helps them understand what they need to do to be successful.

“It’s my favorite part of the job [working with the kids],” Boike said. “There’s always someone knocking on my door, and it might be because they have an assessment coming up and they need the best suggestions for reviewing for it, or they need help choosing the best college for them. When students come to me, I get to say ‘let’s talk about what’s best for you’ and ‘what are your future plans?’ And that might mean one thing for one student, and something completely different for another. That’s my favorite part, because every student has a different story.”