“IB excited,” the common catchphrase of students in the IB Diploma Programme, is one way to describe this year’s sophomore class.

There are currently 50 juniors and 43 seniors enrolled in IB, but the class of 2007 is expected to dramatically exceed its predecessors.

Some 110 rising juniors have applied for the programme, and most of them are expected to follow through. Only about 10 percent of applicants do not continue to take IB courses, according to IB Diploma Coordinator Wynn Cherry.

“It’s taken three or four years to dispel the myths about IB,” Cherry said. “Two classes of kids have now gone on to college, and they tell me ‘I feel prepared. I’m not stressing about the college workload.’”

Preparation for college is not the only reason more students are choosing to take the IB route.

Many prospective students are attracted to the smaller class sizes or the focus on free response tests rather than multiple choice.

“The highlights of the IB Programme are Mr. Quinn’s quarterly papers and weekly history study groups,” IB junior Ashley Horne said. “Also, the teachers are really helpful, and the classes are smaller.”

More IB classes will be added to maintain the smaller class sizes next year.

There are currently only two IB English classes for juniors, but next year there will be four. An increase in IB classes might mean a decrease in AP classes.

Cherry does not expect competition between the AP and IB programmes to increase as the number of IB students increases.

“AP is very individualized and classes are separate. IB is a whole package. People who do it feel like they are participating in something different,” Cherry said.