Academic Achievement Deserves More Recognition, not Less!

This takes the award for the best article of the day!

Brittany Dixon, a junior at Lake Orion High School and editor of the Student Voices section in the Eccentric Newspapers, wrote this insightful piece regarding the way the honor of Valedictorian and Salutatorian have been watered-down.

Eccentric: Valedictorians vanish as schools honor several top scholars (05/20/07)

This, from a high school junior, shows the “culture of education” in Michigan:

"Schools provide top students with distinctive tassels to adorn their caps at graduation, but when it comes to the record-setting athlete, it's a completely different ball game. Extravagant banquets, impressive plaques and countless newspaper clippings acknowledge sports players' accomplishments, yet the title of valedictorian is forgotten in the midst of honoring every student who "did their best."

I have supported the idea of eliminating “Vals and Sals” at Rochester, but only because the Rochester School district refuses to weight the grades of academically challenging classes. This creates two problems. First, an “A” in guitar class counts the same as an “A” in AP Calculus or AP Physics, and that hardly seems fair. Secondly, I’m told that some students in the running for “val or sal” shy away from the more academically challenging courses in their senior year because it might put that designation at risk.

I’ve also believed having 10 Valedictorians and 20 Salutatorians in a single graduating class signals a weak curriculum. How much challenge can there be if such a large number of students can achieve “perfect” or “near-perfect” scores?

This article today has caused me to rethink my position.

I have included below the full article:


Valedictorians vanish as schools honor several top scholars
BY BRITTANY DIXON


The title of valedictorian, derived from the Latin equivalent meaning "to say farewell," is ironically doing just that. Recently, many high schools have done away with the tradition of choosing a single valedictorian in favor of recognizing a group of students graduating at the top of their class instead. This decision has resulted in opposing views from administration and students at several local high schools.

Kati Schmidt, a 2006 graduate of Oxford High School, would have been valedictorian of her class if it weren't for the "everyone's a winner" philosophy that has become increasingly more common. Rather than reserving the well-known honor for the highest-achieving individual, Oxford recognizes the top 10 students based on cumulative grade-point averages. Lake Orion High School does the same.

This new method leads many to ask, "What makes 10 better than one?" According to Todd Dunckley, principal of Lake Orion High School, "not choosing one valedictorian gives recognition to more students who deserve it."

Schmidt, however, disagrees: "If they were going to make a distinction between 10 of us and the rest of the class, then they might as well have said who was first, second and so on."

Competition between classmates for the coveted top spot may have also been a factor that ultimately led to the elimination of valedictorians. Schmidt remembers the rivalry among students leading up to commencement: "It wasn't openly cut-throat, but I think people were pretty concerned with [being the best], whether they admitted it or not."

Dunckley has noticed the same behavior as well and feels the "top 10" policy ensures that "nobody gets harmed." But others argue that not being one of several people honored makes ordinary students feel worse.

Aside from the personal emotions involved, the absence of valedictorians can also play a part in the college admissions process.

Katy Rice, a senior at Lake Orion High School and ranked first in her class, has experienced these negative affects firsthand. Rice, who plans to attend Alma College in the fall, will not be receiving the funding she has earned. "The school I am going to has a special, full-ride scholarship specifically for valedictorians. Although I am qualified, I'm not eligible because [Lake Orion] won't officially give me that title."

Schools provide top students with distinctive tassels to adorn their caps at graduation, but when it comes to the record-setting athlete, it's a completely different ball game. Extravagant banquets, impressive plaques and countless newspaper clippings acknowledge sports players' accomplishments, yet the title of valedictorian is forgotten in the midst of honoring every student who "did their best."

Perhaps the status of valedictorian was more imperative years ago, when a much smaller percentage of high school grads went on to pursue a higher education. Still, many find it sad to end a longtime tradition by withholding a highly sought-after title from deserving students. Said Schmidt: "I worked really hard in high school, and having the title of valedictorian would have been pretty cool."

Brittany Dixon is a junior at Lake Orion High School and editor of the Student Voices section in the Eccentric Newspapers.