Welcome to Eugene IHS!

Hello IHS Parents, Students, and Families,

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Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! For those of you returning to Eugene International High School, welcome back! And for our incoming class of 9th graders, and other new students to IHS, we are so excited to meet you! Your teachers are hard at work preparing for your arrival--we are spending this week attending professional development, meeting as a staff, decorating classrooms, going over class lists, making seating charts, creating lesson plans, and for many of us, getting our own children ready for the first day of school. Teachers feel the same way most students feel during the week before the first day of school--a mix of nervousness and excitement about what this new school year will bring. Remember that our 9th graders will begin on Tuesday, September 8th--please refer to your host school's communication for the exact schedule for your student. Our 10th-12th graders will begin on Wednesday, September 9th at 8:30 with their 1st period class. We are so excited to see the students back in our classrooms again!

As Head Teacher for IHS, my role is a unique one within our district--although I am in charge of much of the administrative work that keeps IHS running on three separate campuses, I am not an administrator. I am a teacher first. This year, in addition to my duties as Head Teacher, I'm teaching (3) sections of 12th grade IB 20th Century Literature at our South campus. It is an important part of our teacher-led school model to have our Head Teacher still working in the classroom--it keeps me grounded in the daily activities of the classroom and still working directly with students. Being in the classroom with my students is the best part of my week, without question, and I'm looking forward to meeting my own students next week!

I send out a newsletter like this one at the start of each month--I will include important updates, announcements, and information to help everyone know what's going on throughout the school year, so please take a few minutes to read through it each month.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. My email address is dearinger_c@4j.lane.edu. Here we go--it's going to be a great year!

Courtney

September 8--First Day for 9th graders

September 9--First Day for 10th-12th graders

October 1--IB Junior Parent Night (see below)

October 7--IHS Opening Assembly at SEHS auditorium

October 9--NO SCHOOL (Professional Development Day)

October 13--IHS Site Council Meeting (4:15 at SEHS, room 541)

October 15--IB fees due for all juniors/seniors taking IB exams in May

We have the same block schedule that we have used the past two years with (4) periods each day rotating on an A/B schedule. Students will attend periods 1-4 on A days, and periods 5-8 on B days. Advisory will be held on rotating Tuesdays/Thursdays, and Wednesdays are still Early Release at 2:30. Please use these calendars to help you and your student keep track of the schedule this year.

9th grade: The 9th grade IHS team of teachers is looking forward to helping 9th graders get organized and acquainted with all things IHS! Teachers will be helping students set up planners, learn how to organize their Google Drive, ensure students are familiar with Canvas, meet their librarians and take a library tour, and learn about all the services available to them through IHS and their host schools. Our 9th graders will participate in the Book Love program, which encourages them to read independently and to develop a lifelong love of reading. Students will learn what it means to be an IB Learner, and they will understand the IB and IHS mission statements. In our opening units, students will be exploring such questions as: What does it mean to be a global citizen? How do empathy and respect play key roles in becoming a responsible global citizen? How does the intertwined study of geography, health, and literature help us understand the world around us? We are excited to welcome the newest members of our IHS student community!

10th grade: Civics and Engagement focuses on teaching the foundations of current government structures. Narratives and Perspectives is opening with a unit on the historical and philosophical foundations of early societies and states. Literature will begin with a citizen music unit with musicians from around the world, and from there will move into the reading of the graphic novel Persepolis. We are all excited to build on what students learned last year as we continue the journey of preparing students for IB classes next year.

11th grade: IHS Juniors have four courses this year, with the inclusion of Junior Seminar within the academic day. Junior Core students will begin the year questioning the very nature of knowledge itself and using that critical thinking to start identifying potential research topics for their Extended Essays. In IB Economics, juniors will examine the economic lens of the world, with a particular focus on the ways in which human behavior, values, choice, resources, and mathematics intersect. IB Literature and History of the Americas courses will invite students to question, “What even is history?” and “How can literary arts explore and express aspects of identity, culture, and individuality?” Both courses will begin investigating these questions through an Indigenous, Native American, and First Nations focus, before and after The Columbian Exchange.

12th Grade: We look forward to welcoming our seniors back to their final year of high school! This year, we will focus on the 20th and 21st century worlds in our study of history and literature. History will begin the year with the question, What did the world look like in 1919? Literature will begin with a study of the personal essay, as students write personal essays for college and scholarship applications. Meanwhile, in Theory of Knowledge we will ask who we are, what we know and how we know it.

If you think your student might be interested in pursuing the International Baccalaureate diploma, or if you want to find out more about the benefits and possibilities of IB, come to this special information night led by IB Coordinator Steve Smith. This is mainly for 11th grade parents and students, but everyone is welcome. There will be an IB information night for sophomore parents at the end of January.

I often get questions from parents and students about the specific IHS courses students are required to take throughout high school. Here are the required IHS classes by grade level. IHS courses meet the following graduation requirements for the state of Oregon: (4) credits of English/Language Arts, (1) credit of Health education, (.5) credit of Civics, (1) credit of Economics, (3) credits of social studies, and new ODE standards related to higher education and career pathways skills.

9th grade--Global Health, Global Geography, and Global Literature

10th grade--Narratives and Perspectives, Civics, and Literature and the Arts

11th grade--IB History of the Americas, IB Literature of the Americas, IB Economics, and IB Junior Seminar

12th grade--IB 20th Century History, IB 20th Century Literature, IB Theory of Knowledge

On Wednesday, October 7th, we will hold our annual IHS Opening Assembly from 9:15-10:45 at the South Eugene HS auditorium. This event is one of only two times all year when we are able to gather all IHS students from our three campuses together in one place. Our Opening Assembly welcomes returning students back and introduces our 9th graders to our school community. We celebrate the successes of last year and look forward to all there is to come in the new school year. It is a joyful celebration of community, and one of our favorite days of the school year.

4j school district requires a field trip permission form to be signed by a parent/guardian any time a student is leaving their school grounds. For our students at Sheldon and Churchill, we will need a permission slip signed for every student in order to attend the assembly. We take students in groups on 4j school buses and we return them to school after the assembly.

Students from Sheldon and Churchill will receive a paper copy of this permission slip in their IHS classes, but please find a copy here attached for your convenience. Permission slips can be returned to any IHS teacher or our secretaries in the IHS offices.

Every school in the 4j school district uses a site council to help make decisions for the school. Site councils are made up of teachers, classified staff members, administrators, parents, and students. The goal of the site council is to have a body of stakeholders available to discuss important issues that arise throughout the school year. Last year, we had a dedicated group of parents attend each month, and I'd love to expand that group this year! We need parents from Sheldon, South, and Churchill IHS. We meet once a month, on the second Tuesday of the month, from 4:15-5:15 at South High School in room 541.

Our first meeting for the 2026-2027 school year will be on October 13th. We will NOT have a meeting in September.

If you are interested in being a parent member for IHS Site Council, please email me: dearinger_c@4j.lane.edu.

As a culminating project in our IHS 10th grade Civics classes, all students research and create a Community. Action Project (CAP) to address problems in their local communities by changing policy. The (CAP) curriculum gives students the opportunity to explore real solutions to the problems they observe in their community, inviting them to identify a local issue and then learn about the real civic actions they can take to create real change. Last year, all of our 10th grade Civics students in IHS worked in groups to present their CAP at the end of the year.

Students researched several important issues, including traffic safety, mental health awareness, and A.I. in the classroom. These incredible projects were showcased to University of Oregon law professors, civic leaders, school board members, and other members of the local community to be judged, with students presenting their observations and policy solutions. The top scoring projects moved on to the Center for Civic Education’s national competition.

We are thrilled to announce that one of the projects from Julia Von Holt's Civics class at IHS Churchill won recognition in the national high school division. IHS Churchill students Emma Frazee, Minerva Hammond, Lyra Inouye, and Miriam Wohlers researched the discrepancy in access to IB and AP classes for students at different local schools, creating real problems for providing equal opportunities across the district. The students researched the problem, polling their peers and analyzing class offerings at their local high schools. In the end, the students found a solution: expanding the school bussing program to transport students to schools holding advanced classes, increasing equality while staying mindful of the real-world constraint of the district’s budget. Their project received an "Exceptional" rating in the national competition.

Congrats to these IHS students--we can't wait to see what this year's 10th grade Civics students research!

Get ready for an incredible adventure to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands! We’ll begin high in the Andes exploring the historic streets of Quito, then stand with one foot in each hemisphere at the equator, where we’ll try some of the unusual experiments that can only be done there. We’ll visit the colorful Otavalo Market before flying to the legendary Galápagos Islands, where the real adventure begins! Students will walk among giant tortoises, contribute to a hands-on conservation service project, and experience some of the most extraordinary wildlife on Earth. We’ll spend plenty of time snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of the Galápagos, where we may swim alongside sea turtles, sea lions, tropical fish, penguins, and other marine life. We’ll explore beautiful island communities, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, learn how scientists are working to protect this remarkable ecosystem, and relax and swim at spectacular Tortuga Bay, where sea turtles, sea lions, and flamingos may be sharing the beach with us. This is a chance to experience one of the most unique places on the planet—not just as tourists, but as explorers, snorkelers, and conservationists!

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure to Australia! Students will explore the best of Sydney and tropical North Queensland on a trip packed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In Sydney, we’ll walk the famous Bondi coastline, cruise Sydney Harbour, tour the iconic Sydney Opera House, take in incredible views from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and eat dinner nearly 1,000 feet above the city at Sydney Tower. We’ll get up close with kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, and other Australian wildlife, learn about Aboriginal culture and traditions, and even take a surf lesson at Manly Beach! Then we’ll fly north to Cairns, where the adventure continues with snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, exploring the tropical rainforest aboard an amphibious WWII Army Duck, meeting more of Australia’s incredible wildlife, and soaring above the rainforest canopy on the Skyrail Cableway. From surfing and snorkeling to wildlife, beaches, rainforests, and some of Australia’s most famous landmarks, this is much more than a sightseeing trip—it’s a chance to truly experience Australia!

Want to learn more?

Visit the Trip Website

Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands

Sydney & the Great Barrier Reef

Interested in Signing Up?

Attend the Travel Meeting

Wed October 14th

6:30 pm-7:45 pm

South Eugene High School

IHS Wing, room 534

RSVP for interest in the Galapagos Islands

RSVP for interest in Sydney & the Great Barrier Reef

Use personal email address to RSVP

In 2007, Brian O’Kelley, Eugene International High School alumnus class of 1995, shared with our school his belief in the importance of travel and the inherent benefits of making connections across the globe. He made a generous donation of $100,000, which started the “Alumni Fund for Eugene International High School,” which is to be used for student travel scholarships. We have made these scholarships available for students who have the greatest financial need and the least opportunity for travel.

We are thrilled that this year, we will once again be able to offer several scholarships our students can use towards travel. Students must submit an application that includes a formal essay explaining their financial need, where they want to go, what they hope to gain, and how their experience will benefit the school and community. This year, we are also adding an in-person interview with the Travel Scholarship Committee.

Specific information about this year's travel scholarships will be formally announced at our IHS Opening Assembly on October 7th, and applications will be available immediately following the assembly. Scholarships are due at the end of October, and scholarship winners will be announced before Thanksgiving break.

We encourage any student who plans to travel in the coming year and needs financial assistance to apply!

Eugene International High School offers students a chance to earn an honorary diploma at the end of our four years together. Students still earn their high school diploma from their host school--for example, a student's high school diploma is from Sheldon High School, but they also receive the honorary IHS diploma as recognition for completing our separate set of standards and requirements. Eugene IHS holds our own separate graduation ceremony at the Hult Center (my favorite night of the school year!) where we recognize graduating seniors together from all three host campuses.

In order to earn the honorary IHS diploma, students must do the following:

• Complete all required IHS courses in 11th-12th grade (listed above)
• Submit a final draft of the Extended Essay research paper (completed during Junior Seminar)
• Take at least (3) years of a world language (does not have to be the same language all three years)
• Complete (100) CAS hours (Creativity, Activity, Service) during junior and senior year
• Complete all graduation requirements for the high school diploma

**Please note that students DO NOT have to take any IB exams in order to earn the IHS diploma. IB testing and the IHS diploma are separate and do not affect the student's ability to earn the diploma.**

Senior Parents and Students! Mark your calendars: Our IHS Graduation Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 11 at 7:00 pm at the Hult Center! I will put important graduation information in this newsletter starting in January.