Two Latta High School Students Presented IB Diplomas

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Out of 192,866 candidates, the IB awarded 77,875 diplomas worldwide for the May 2024 session. On Monday, January 6, 2025, Latta High School held a presentation ceremony for Ashton Haselden and Adam Peacock to receive their International Baccalaureate Programme diplomas. These remarkable young men received their diplomas by completing two years of a rigorous, demanding international curriculum. Their course of study included six academic classes as well as three additional subjects comprising the core of IB: Theory of Knowledge (a class that challenges students to reflect on the nature of knowledge), Creativity, Activity, and Service (a mandate requiring students to focus beyond academics and to volunteer their time and service to others), and Extended Essay (an independent, college-level essay of approximately 4,000 words).
Each student dedicates approximately forty hours of work into the creation of their Extended Essay. Ashton’s topic was “Themes of Abandonment and Solitude in Where the Crawdads Sing.” Adam’s topic was “Communist Methods and Tactics of Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev.”
Ashton Haselden is the son of Brandi and Jamie Haselden. He is majoring in Biological Sciences at Clemson University, with the intent of entering pharmacy school following Clemson University.
Ashton said, “IB prepared me for college as I have already learned how to manage my time wisely. I am able to balance the rigorous school work efficiently since I already have experience with doing so in high school. Also, for college lab reports and essays, I am able to write them with ease. IB classes helped me strengthen my writing skills, in addition to helping me write a quality essay or report in a timely manner.”
Ashton’s biggest piece of advice for IB students is to study! “The amount of studying I did was reflected in the grade I would make on an assignment. Studying days in advance is the key to achieving high grades in all classes. Studying is crucial, especially during exam season. Studying even weeks before an exam will highly benefit your performance. Most notably, although IB can seem overwhelming, remember to have fun in high school! Involve yourself in many extracurricular activities to balance your education with your social life. Work hard and have fun!”
Adam Peacock is the son of Dawn and Steven Peacock and is attending Clemson University. He is majoring in Plant and Environmental Sciences. After graduation, he would like to continue in the field of plant research, possibly at a diagnostic clinic or working with Clemson Extension. 
Adam said, “IB prepared me for multiple facets of college life, including time management, effective study strategies, and prioritization. I’ve learned how to effectively manage the free time I have in order to get ahead of large projects and assignments. Additionally, I’ve learned what study strategies work best for me, along with deciding how much time to allocate towards studying. Prioritization has been vital to me when deciding which assignments should be tackled first, favoring those that are more important to my final grade rather than those that are less decisive.”
Adam identified his biggest challenge throughout IB classes as procrastination. “I struggled to complete assignments and study well ahead of time, rushing to complete them before the deadline. The main consequence of this was that I didn’t complete my work to the best of my ability, and it wasn’t as refined as I would have wanted. It also added unneeded stress to many nights just before midnight.” His advice to future IB students deals with that same topic. “For future IB students, I would say that the most important piece of advice is to stay ahead of all of their assignments. This ensures that you can enjoy your free time without having to stress about an assignment that is hanging over your head. Also, I would suggest that minimizing distractions while studying helps to ensure that you use your time effectively and retain the information you’ve studied. Lastly, learn how to cite information early on, and keep track of your sources and where you use them.”
These young men have definitely learned some important lessons, and we appreciate that they were able to come back to Latta High School on January 6, 2025, to share their knowledge and experience with the underclassmen who are considering joining the IB Diploma Programme.
Latta High School is very proud of all of our International Baccalaureate Diploma graduates. They join many other Latta High School graduates who distinguished themselves by earning this international recognition. The significant achievements that these young men have already accomplished make us all look forward to seeing what they will do in the future. The staff and faculty would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to our graduates for their willingness to share their life experiences and knowledge with their peers. We look forward to many more years of successful stories told by our International Baccalaureate Diploma graduates.