You have to know where you're going to find Boyd Anderson High School, tucked into a neighborhood in Lauderdale Lakes. If you're a freshman student there, the school will help you find direction.
"We develop a program for them that they follow for the next four years," said Principal Angel Almanzar, explaining that the school's philosophy is to tailor each student's education to that student's interests.
Open since 1971, Boyd Anderson High is an iconic Broward County institution. Its alumni include many professional athletes, including NBA Hall of Fame member Mitch Richmond. Now, thanks to magnet programs, the school has developed an excellent academic reputation as well.
"We have some great teachers here that truly care about the education of the students and do everything and anything possible to make sure the students are getting the education that they need to be successful in life," Almanzar said.
The Health and Wellness program prepares students for careers in health care right out of high school or to study nursing or medicine in college. Thanks to a partnership with the Broward Fire Academy, graduates of the program can go directly to the Academy to become firefighters.
Boyd Anderson was one of the first schools in South Florida to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma program. Now the school is the first in South Florida to offer all three IB programs under one roof: the Middle Years program, the Diploma track, and the new IB Career Prep Program.
"Which is a certificate for those students who want some academic work but they are also thinking of career pathways and not necessarily your traditional four-year university," explained Mishka-Gaye Corbitt, the IB Program coordinator.
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Students in the ROTC program can enroll in the IB Career Prep and when they graduate, they can go into the service as officers instead of enlisting. Next year, culinary students will be part of the IBCP program as well.
There are Boyd Anderson alumni at many of the nation's best colleges, thanks to the academic rigor of the IB Diploma track.
"A lot of those students are going to school like Stanford and Harvard," Corbitt said.
Another unique offering at Boyd Anderson is the after-school enrichment program. Sponsored by the YMCA and Children's Services Council, hundreds of students stay late every day to take classes in drama, art, music, weight training and many more.
