The Bright Futures Scholarship and the IB Program
Florida law now recognizes both the International Baccalaureate Program Diploma and
the IB Curriculum as methods of qualifying for a Florida Bright Futures Academic or
Medallion Scholarship.
To qualify for the Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholarship or the Medallion
Scholarship with the IB Program Diploma, a student must:

Receive the IB Diploma.

Earn the required 100 community service hours for the Academic Scholarship or
75 community service hours for the Medallion Scholarship. These hours will be
satisfied by completing the CAS portion of the IB Curriculum and earning the
Diploma.

No SAT or ACT test score is required.
To qualify for the Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholarship or the Medallion
Scholarship with the IB Program Curriculum, a student must:

Complete the IB Curriculum requirements as determined by the Florida
Department of Education.

Earn the required 100 community service hours for the Academic Scholarship or
75 community service hours for the Medallion Scholarship. These hours will be
satisfied by completing the CAS portion of the IB Curriculum.

Meet the appropriate SAT or ACT score.

No minimum coursework GPA is required.
Why should I start earning Bright Futures Community Service hours NOW?
1. If a student leaves the IB Program at any point, CAS hours will NOT apply for Bright
Futures Community Service hours. Students will then have to meet the required 100
hours in a limited amount of time.
2. Colleges and universities are looking for well-rounded students who have made a
commitment to giving back to their communities. They want to know that students are
likely to get involved on their campuses and in their communities.
3. Community service can offer opportunities for leadership. Service and leadership are
both required in order to meet the qualifications for honor societies, such as the
National Honor Society.
4. Experimenting with different community service opportunities gives students a chance to
try things out before starting their CAS project in junior year.
5. The IB Learner Profile states that IB aims to develop caring students. These students
“show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They
have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the
lives of others and to the environment.”
5. It’s the right thing to do! Get started now on this life-long habit of giving back to your
community!
How do I get started?
All IB freshmen will learn about Bright Futures Community Service through Inquiry Skills
class.
Students entering the IB program following the freshman year may see Mrs. ShepherdThompson in the IB office to get started on Bright Futures community service.
Students will be given a Service Project Proposal Form #1 which must be completed,
then approved and signed by Mrs. Shepherd-Thompson before beginning the
community service.
No service hours will count prior to this form being approved and signed.
Once the Service Project Proposal has been approved, students will be given a log sheet
to track service hours.
All Bright Futures forms are also available on the PHUHS IB website.
http://phuhs.org/departmentsstaff/ib
Students must have an approved Project Proposal form and maintain a separate log
sheet for each agency where they plan to volunteer.
When 100 hours or more of community service hours have been completed, students
must complete the Evaluation/Reflection Form as the final step of their Service Project.
This form is available on the IB website shown above.
All completed Bright Futures paperwork (Project Proposal Form, log sheets, and
Evaluation/Reflection Form) must be turned in to Mrs. Shepherd-Thompson no later
than April 30th of the student’s senior year.
Please see the Bright Futures links on the PHUHS IB website for further details about the
Bright Futures Scholarship.