High School is a vigorous time for many students.
Some students can handle the heat of competition, while others simply can’t. One student fights the hardest and wins the title of valedictorian. A title he or she deserves and should not be taken away. A High School such as the one I go to, Mary Carroll High School, gets very competitive for the running of valedictorian and may cause some animosity towards other students but taking away the position would be harmful. A man who works harder than everyone in his job gets promoted and has the high hopes for becoming the boss, while the man who works less remains where he is.That is how it should be for high school students.
Being a sought after prestigious position, many students want to be valedictorian, but do not have the true desire to become one. Although, some high schools offer co-valedictorians because they feel all students who put effort into school should be rewarded. Some schools say that any student that makes over a 4. 0 should be named valedictorian.
The reason this idea should not be put into practice is because a student who takes all AP courses and has well above a 4. should not be placed in the same category as a student who took only half AP courses and has barely over a 4. 0. On the other hand, some schools name co-valedictorians who are separated by a small factor. This practice is understandable because the school does not want to anger any student, but all students know who the true number 1 isAlso by naming two, you steal the thunder from the true number 1, who has worked the hardest.
Meanwhile, some schools have just banned the practice of giving the title valedictorian all in all. This strategy is to make all students, teachers, and parents happy.Getting rid of valedictorians gives many students no incentive of going the extra mile for the best GPA. Also what reward would the student who goes the extra mile get? Although after high school being the valedictorian doesn’t matter, but neither do the trophies you won as a child. The trophies represent memories to many, as does the title valedictorian to the select few who gain the honor. The high schools that do not believe in valedictorians believe that it does not matter because that student who went the extra mile will be rewarded with a good college.
This is true, but so will the student who is in the top 7%. State universities, by law, are required to accept a student who is ranked in the top 7%. For example the University of Texas is required to take a student ranked number 32 out of 450 students. The only true privilege to the top-notch student is the title valedictorian. The tradition has been changed over the years due to the extra intake of AP courses, but so has the desire to learn.
Parents will argue that AP courses make it unfair to students because it is weighted but that is not true. At Carroll AP courses are the only way to challenge you.If a student did not get any reward for challenging himself instead of making an easy 100, what student would take AP? What student would want to learn? Many people will argue it is harmful to the student, because instead of focusing on a subject they care for, they are required to focus on all subjects even ones they do not care about. The title valedictorian is a rank many students want to hold, but only few have the desire. Do not punish these students who work the hardest by relinquishing the title or making them share it with the competitor they fought to beat throughout high school.
