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C R E A T E A D |
High School Valedictorian
| #1 :: January 17th, 2012 @ 8:39 PM | |
 Heathersauris a Skilled Hooker    318 Posts 432 Achievements  
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Question: Should High School Valedictorians be judged and picked solely on GPA and grades or should factors such as community service and school involvment also factor into a school's choice of Valedictorian? I graduated high school last year in May of 2011. There was a big controversy over our valedictorian, and it was barely 4 weeks before graduation did we finally find out who it was: someone barely anyone knew. Background: Our school system is a bit weird. We offer Advanced Placements classes (a lot like 15 when I was there) and duel enrollment at the local community college (free) or at (my current school) a local private university (paid by you) and you receive both high school and college credit for those classes your take. Both AP and community college classes are weighted the same in GPA +1.0 for the grade (so like 5.0 for an A, 4.0 for a B, etc). I took AP classes over duel enrollment at the community college because: 1. they're both free (our school pays for both the classes and books for the community college and AP tests) 2. I had to ride the school bus because I didn't have my own source of transportation for college classes 3. it's a community college aka grade 13, anyone can get into it as long as you don't have a rep sheet, it's really not that much of a challenge as an full AP class and test - and yes this is coming from friends who have done both AP and those college classes. Special recognition is given to those who graduated with AP (completing more than 6 AP classes and passing) and those who graduate high school with their AA. For AP we got our own special silver robe (apart from the black and red of regular students), a red sash, walked at graduation first, and a gold cord if we graduated with a 3.5 weighted GPA or higher. AA students got just a white cord. When our valedictorian was announced I think everyone did a collective "Who?" throughout the school. This kid did full time duel enrollment at the community college for both his junior and senior year, part time during his sophomore. No one knew who the kid was, he barely stepped foot on our high school campus all of Senior year. I remember we were flipping through all our old year books (from freshmen year to senior year) and the kid was only in their for his official school picture. He did no clubs or school involvement at all. Needless to say, there was a collective disappointment in our valedictorian over someone who, came in 2nd but we don't do salutatorians, did AP classes (and I mean did like 12 AP classes), was in soccer, track, National Honors Society, science research (went to the [i]international science far[i] twice, and and won best of show in her division once), drew the design on our senior shirt, and everyone knew who they were (nominated by teachers and staff as a "star student" of our graduating class). She didn't even get to speak at graduation, while our 'valedictorian' got up and talked about, even though we didn't know him and how he couldn't relate to us (he literally said this in his speech), how great of a class we are. (When I did see him I still smiled and congratulated him, yes he did work hard, I just don't think it was deserving of being 'valedictorian' and the face of our graduating class). A friend of mine, who is graduating this year, just posted on facebook tonight how it's official she's going to be valedictorian for the class of 2012. She's pretty much amazing, did 10 AP classes, community college classes, marching band her whole high school career, National Honors Society, and she is a successful novelist. I've very proud that she got the title, and she's very deserving of it. But I still can't shake the feeling that my valedictorian wasn't so deserving of the title. So, fellow, wonderful users, what's your opinion on High School Valedictorians and how the criteria on which they should be picked? Last Edit by:
Heathersaur 1/17/12 - 9:20:43 pm
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| #2 :: January 17th, 2012 @ 9:25 PM | |
| Lyude Silly Spamming Sausage  364 Posts 148 Achievements |
 @Heathersaur I love Valedictorians and I would have adored to have been one.On topic, I feel you. That girl you mentioned, the 2012 Valedictorian, reminds me of the school leaders at my high school (who are often more highly regarded than the Valedictorian, and actually have the ability to consult staff about changes/improvements). Very high grades (not the absolute highest, but very high) and so many extra-curricular activities and community service type things. If I were here, I would break under the weight of all of the things she did... Your Valedictorian doesn't sound very... deserving of his position. A Valedictorian is a role model and a representation of the school, he or she should be well rounded, not simply have the best grades. Extra curricular involvement and relationship with the student body is really important, IMO. 99% of schools here don't have any indication of rank, but I remember meeting a fellow during an inter-school chess competition in my senior year. He was a school leader (I assume) because he actually had a uniform unique from everyone elses: the standard uniform was navy with white highlights, but his was pure white with metallic gold trim. It was breathtaking. I would have loved to have been in his position.
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| #3 :: January 17th, 2012 @ 9:34 PM | |
| Heathersaur is a Skilled Hooker 318 Posts 432 Achievements |
@Lyude That's what a lot of my friends (really the top 10% of the graduating class of 520+ students) thought about it, Valedictorians are role models, and ours wasn't. But unfortunately I went to a public high school, pretty far down the ladder, that only cared about football and the high administration doesn't care that much about academics. We did have a "class rank" raked first on un-weighted GPA and then weighted (if needed), but no one really paid that much attention to it, because we had classes you could sleep through and get A's at my school... And then there's the whole AP classes vs community college classes, which really if you ask anyone who's taken more than 1 AP class and a community college class, they will say without a doubt that AP classes are harder, which is really unfair that they are weighted the same in GPA.
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| #4 :: January 17th, 2012 @ 10:24 PM | |
 DemonHas a Massive Family  2,191 Posts 583 Achievements |
I think valedictorians should be chosen purely on GPA. GPA is simply the easiest thing to quantify, unfortunately. Who's to say being in more clubs makes you more deserving than being president of just one club? It'd just be too hard to justify other factors, so I feel this is still the fairest way. I mean, I feel ya -- the valedictorian of my own class intentionally weaseled out of the hardest AP classes to stay on top, BUT it was her choice to do that.We all could have chosen to do that, if we wanted. If that silly title matters more to someone than actually going out and putting in extra effort, just let them have that title. No worries though -- the valedictorian of your class doesn't sound like he'll really get accepted into a stellar college, if that's all he's done. Your other activities speak for themselves. Colleges do care a lot about your GPA, but the fact is that so many high schools give out 4.0's like free candy that it's probably the SAT/ACT and extracurricular that matter more. I say let valedictorian stay what is is, and let the rest of your resume speak for you. It won't matter for long, anyway. ;3 Once you've been in college for a year, that high school class rank slips off your resume pretty darn fast.
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| #5 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 12:58 AM | |
| Molly is a Mirage  3,568 Posts 492 Achievements |
@Heathersaur GPA only. How can you compare the merit of being in one club versus another, or level of involvement in clubs, as Demon mentioned? Colleges will see that someone's done a lot of clubs and judge that for themselves, and that will factor into choosing who to admit however it will, but GPA should be the only thing determining valedictorian. The only exception would be, in the case of a tie, that the difficulty of classes be taken into account. Our high school didn't weight APs at all, and as it turned out the only person in my graduating class with a 4.0 had taken the absolute most rigorous course load possible, but if it had been any different, they would have turned to the difficulty of classes and compared the two people - that, in my opinion, is fair, seeing as it'd be easier (ostensibly) to get a 4.0 taking easy classes versus a 4.0 taking all APs.
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| #6 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 7:22 PM | |
| Diamond Silly Spamming Sausage  262 Posts 120 Achievements |
 Yes, I agree with the fact that it should be GPA based only. Sometimes those kinds of things happen, and it can suck, but a valedictorian isn't a popularity contest nor is it a who's-in-the-most-clubs, etc. Those things can't be so accurately judged anyway. My school's valedictorian isn't very well liked... But hey, his grades are the best, he earned that specific spot. But asides from that, your school sounds nice. Really wish we had duel enrollment. Last Edit by:
Diamond 1/18/12 - 7:24:20 pm
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| #7 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 7:24 PM | |
| Mirandapanda Gets Around  91 Posts 359 Achievements |
@Heathersaur I took all my classes at a community college for my junior and senior years and I think it's kind of bizarre that someone who was at a community college would be chosen as valedictorian. I certainly didn't feel like I was a part of my high school anymore. I had to go back a few times for my senior project and to get graduation information and it didn't feel like I belonged there. It didn't even feel like I was in high school anymore because, except for a couple of PE classes, I wasn't. I would not have been a very good choice to represent the school (not that my grades were good enough to worry about that  ). I think a valedictorian should at least be someone who actually goes to the school.Other than that, I think it should be based on GPA. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the student who tried so hard to get the highest GPA when some other student is chosen for valedictorian because they were in knitting club. I do think students who are involved with their school should be recognized in other ways, though.
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Mirandapanda 1/18/12 - 7:24:47 pm
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| #8 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 8:07 PM | |
| Heathersaur is a Skilled Hooker 318 Posts 432 Achievements |
@Mirandapanda @crypt @Diamond @Demon You all have very good points about GPA. I do agree with GPA being the main factor in choosing, but I don't understand, if two people are tied in GPA or it's so close in margin, how someone with no school involvement should still be chosen over someone who does have school involvement? At my school it did come down to weighted GPAs (as they both had 4.0) and seeing as someone who does full-time duel enrollment has like 20+ 5.0 weighted classes being factored into their GPA he probably did have a higher weighted GPA. And when I talk about "school involvement" and "clubs" yes I do mean more then the knitted and cup-cake baking club, I do mean like "legit" clubs and school involvement, like sports, academic clubs, robotics, or even theater. If the other person had been in like only one club, then yes I would understand why a person with higher GPA but no clubs would probably be chosen. Last Edit by:
Heathersaur 1/18/12 - 8:10:39 pm
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| #9 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 8:11 PM | |
| Molly is a Mirage 3,568 Posts 492 Achievements |
@Heathersaur But why should that factor into something that is meant to judge academic merit, not extracurricular merit? People need to learn that valedictorian doesn't mean, "you're the best!" it means, "you have the best (weighted / unweighted / however your school does it) grades" - how would you judge something like tennis versus football, or theater versus debate, or newspaper versus literary magazine? That's too subjective to play a role in choosing the valedictorian. And the kid who clearly worked his butt off doing dual enrollment taking college classes deserves to have his GPA weighted accordingly. It's a measure of grades, not of extracurriculars, and I think that's completely fair.
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| #10 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 8:21 PM | |
| Heathersaur is a Skilled Hooker 318 Posts 432 Achievements |
@crypt So taking college classes at a community college should be held higher than someone who also earns college credits through AP classes and at the same time involves themselves heavily into school involvement? I mean I'm in college now, and back in high school people say "taking 1 AP class is equivalent to a 1 semester college class" when really it's not. A lot of colleges base it off the score you earn how many classes you earn credit for. I'm pretty sure, through my knowledge, when I was looking at schools a year ago, the valedictorian and the person who didn't get it went into college with the same amount of credits. Also comparing college life to high school life, I probably did half the stuff the person who didn't get valedictorian did and I was stress for time all the time through my last 2 years of high school. College is a flipping paradise island right now with how much free time I have - and I go to a highly accredited private university, not a community college. Last Edit by:
Heathersaur 1/18/12 - 8:24:19 pm
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| #11 :: January 18th, 2012 @ 10:48 PM | |
 Dejais Shady  5,014 Posts 467 Achievements |
 Valedictorian is traditionally based on grade point average and it should stay that way.I feel that if the title was given to someone who was active in clubs and what not instead, it would become more of a popularity contest. (At least in my high school those active students were the "popular" ones). Active students were recognized, and even awarded at my high school graduation for what they did during their high school career (I also came from a very small school). The student who works hard and achieves the highest grade should receive recognition. I will say this, I was valedictorian of my graduating class. And no I was not highly active at my school. Besides the fact that my high school did not offer many activities, clubs, and even AP classes because it was a fairly new school, I was instead working after school in the field that I wished to go to college for, and eventually got a degree and job in. While I did join the robotics club for one semester in high school for example, the experience that I got when I was working is something I can put on my resume today and was way more valuable. I also spent more time focused on my school work than getting so wrapped in other activities. I'm just trying to say, don't knock down people too much who don't get involved in their school. Getting good grades is a lot of work, and those who are dedicated may spend more time trying to achieve high grades than pursuing other activities. Or maybe they have other interests else where. And than I'll just say, in a gloom and doom way...when you get out in the real world, the grades you got through high school and college don't really matter in the end too much (note: depending on profession), and the paper diploma you get and worked so hard for will become flimsy as you hold it in your hands as you try and get employed right after you graduate. Anywho.... |
| #12 :: January 19th, 2012 @ 10:43 AM | |
| HerroRed is Darksided!  286 Posts 494 Achievements |
If someone's super involved and active in extracurricular activities, colleges are going to notice. And let's be honest, after you get into college nobody cares if you were the valedictorian. So if the less-involved kid gets the better grades, they deserve the status.
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| #13 :: January 19th, 2012 @ 3:43 PM | |
| Lynelle Tongue Wagger  2,181 Posts 589 Achievements |
If you start judging students on other things, then it becomes a popularity contest. We have enough popularity contests (prom queen, student body president, etc). This one area should remain grades only. In my opinion, of course. There are several reasons that they didn't participate. Perhaps their family couldn't afford it. I've paid several hundred dollars this year so my daughter could participate in marching band. Not everyone can afford that. Perhaps they had to work to help support the family. Maybe they are shy and uncomfortable in large groups. But that doesn't negate the fact that they worked hard to earn that GPA. Colleges look at YOUR GPA and your SAT/ACT scores, they don't look at your ranking in your school. If your GPA is high enough that you were a contender for valedictorian - you will be accepted to the college you want (unless you completely bomb the SAT/ACT... which I doubt if your grades are that high). Anyway, that is just how I feel about it.
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| #14 :: January 22nd, 2012 @ 12:32 PM | |
| Molly is a Mirage 3,568 Posts 492 Achievements |
@Heathersaur Sorry, missed your ping because I ISSed ^^; Not quite. "Held higher" refers to a comparison actually being made, and I don't think that school involvement should even come into play. Colleges, when making their decisions, should of course take into account grades and school involvement, but the decision for valedictorian should not depend on that at all. And if both the competitors for valedictorian at your school went to college with the same amount of transfer credits, then the decision was based upon grades, right? As it should be - and the person with the higher GPA got recognized for having just that. But how many credits you earn has nothing to do with GPA in high school despite the fact that it factors into your GPA in college. I don't think that college life vs. high school life really plays into this since valedictorian doesn't mean "you worked the hardest" - it means "you got the best grades". That's all it means. It certainly isn't the end-all-be-all for college admissions; I wasn't valedictorian, and my GPA was good but far from perfect, and I still got accepted early to an Ivy League school. I credit that primarily to my SAT scores and more importantly to my extra-curriculars and essays, and I'm personally of the opinion that colleges look at that stuff more than a valedictorian ranking anyway, since they get your transcript and they know how rigorous the classes you've taken are. Don't forget that the admissions officer for your area is an expert on your school and knows what the most difficult course load entails. I think valedictorian should say what it says about your grades, and that the colleges should be allowed to decide the rest. Just because the person didn't get valedictorian doesn't mean they weren't recognized for what they did by colleges who were evaluating them. It doesn't mean colleges didn't appreciate the high number of AP classes and probably very good GPA of that person, and they also took into account all the activities. Last Edit by:
Molly 1/22/12 - 12:34:42 pm
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| #15 :: February 6th, 2012 @ 2:11 AM | |
| Chaikyri Is the Pumpkin King!  284 Posts 519 Achievements |
The way I see it, being valedictorian is a gold star on your college resume--if a college is looking to feel a spot, and they have two identical grade sheets before them, but one was also the valedictorian, that could give an edge. (I know that many high tier schools also have essays and such to separate out candidates, but I know for the schools I applied to I didn't need essays, and so I was only letters on a page.) In that way, it's more important than simply being the 'face' of your graduating class; it can (I'm not saying universally and in every case, but in some cases) affect acceptance into colleges. EDIT: Somehow submitted this too early. o_O That being said, my best friend in high school had the highest GPA. Because of our honors and AP classes, she had above a 4.0. One other girl had above a 4.0, but it was a point higher than my friend's. However, the other girl was made valedictorian. My friend (and I) flew under the radar more, while the other girl was 'popular,' and in student council as vice president (although my friend was secretary for three years straight and had to work far more outside of meetings and school on typing minutes and such). It irked me greatly; valedictorian is not about a speech at graduation, it's about academic excellence, IE the person with the highest GPA. For this reason, I believe that grades should be the only consideration when it comes to it. If you try and include other things, the less popular person may have things overlooked, and it becomes another prom queen vote. This is what I've learned from my experience, and I understand why you'd be upset about it, but I have to say that grades need to be the deciding factor. They're solid facts that can be objectively judged even by someone who has never met or seen either of the parties. Last Edit by:
Chaikyri 2/06/12 - 2:16:25 am
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| #16 :: February 6th, 2012 @ 2:16 AM | |
| Molly is a Mirage 3,568 Posts 492 Achievements |
@Chaikyri I see your point in the case that the schools you apply to might not require essays. However, colleges already see your grades and don't necessarily need a "valedictorian" title to know whether you did well or not - your admissions officer is familiar with your area, so they know the rigor of your school and the difficulty of the classes you're taking, and how those might contribute to your GPA. If they see someone with a 4.0 GPA and someone with a 3.4 GPA and the latter was valedictorian, that either indicates that the second person's school was far more rigorous, or they took harder classes. But, the difficultly of the course load can already be determined by looking at the transcript. Most colleges also require resumes, on which your extracurriculars would speak for themselves. Plus, if your school were to start factoring in extracurriculars into the decision for valedictorian, the admissions officer would know that, too. They'd know that "valedictorian" at your school doesn't mean what it means at other schools, and I honestly think that could hurt your chances because they wouldn't know if it was your grades or your extracurriculars that "earned" you that title. Last Edit by:
Molly 2/06/12 - 2:18:03 am
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| #17 :: April 23rd, 2012 @ 11:32 AM | |
| Gylfie Donated to the Cash Shop  4,195 Posts 365 Achievements |
Believe me to be...
Australian, so that doesn't help your case. Anyway, here, we have students vote for the valedictorian. I wish it wasn't so, because it's one big popularity vote and the people who are truly deserving never get the opportunity. So, I don't know about your system, but I wish that the highest scoring students were gathered and then people voted for them, because I'd like that chance. ... very sincerely yours
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| #18 :: April 23rd, 2012 @ 6:55 PM | |
| Amarone The Gourmand  477 Posts 525 Achievements |
@Heathersaur in your most recent posts, what are you trying to argue? you are no longer talking about the factors that should, in your opinion, make up Valedictorian, but rather college admissions chances for a valedictorian, which is by itself a completely different debate. that aside, a valedictorian by tradition has been highest gpa and i think it should remain that way. it's based on a number and thus decided objectively. whether or not being a valedictorian helps you get into a good college is a moot point - if you truly 'deserved' the title of valedictorian, you will probably experience similar success in your future. if you 'cheated' or on any way was 'undeserving' of the title, being a valedictorian will mean little to nothing in the future. Valedictorian is just a title, and should be treated with a grain of salt. i also question how you came so quickly to the conclusion that your school's valedictorian did not try very hard/took easy classes/does not deserve the title. You state yourself you have barely even heard of the kid, and you jump right into concluding that he doesn't deserve the title - when you know NOTHING about what he's done or what he's experienced. Please be more considerate and open minded - i can't take your argument seriously when you seem to so quickly and easily judge books solely by their covers. Last Edit by:
Amarone 4/23/12 - 7:17:01 pm
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| #19 :: April 23rd, 2012 @ 7:00 PM | |
| Molly is a Mirage 3,568 Posts 492 Achievements |
@Amarone I already articulated the factors I thought should make someone valedictorian - gpa. A lot of the arguments of other posters were "my friend didn't get into the college they wanted to get into because they weren't valedictorian" and I said that the title isn't something that automatically guarantees admission, so it shouldn't be adjusted in any way to be "fair" as a lot of people are suggesting. I'm pretty sure that you and I are arguing the exact same thing. ...is the rest of your post seriously addressed to me? I don't think I ever said anything of the kind about my high school's valedictorian - I haven't read this thread in a while, but just glancing back through, I'd say you meant to address that to Heathersaur or Chaikyri? :/
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| #20 :: April 23rd, 2012 @ 7:13 PM | |
| Amarone The Gourmand 477 Posts 525 Achievements |
@Molly ...ogawd i pinged the wrong person -face palm- yes, i completely meant @Heathersaur, the original poster. my dear apologies to you, Molly. Last Edit by:
Amarone 4/23/12 - 7:14:32 pm
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| #21 :: April 24th, 2012 @ 1:56 AM | |
| Garnet is a Skilled Hooker  8,112 Posts 1,054 Achievements |
I think a valedictorian should be chosen based on both GPA and community involvement - that way at least most students will have an idea of who the person is. At my school the valedictorian was chosen by a senior class vote, which made it into a popularity contest. Valedictorians had to be nominated first (we each got to pick 5 people), and then from those nominations, the valedictorian final list was narrowed down to 7 names based on those people's GPAs and other achievements, and then we got to pick from those 7. Unfortunately, I went to an academic school (where everyone's GPA was over 80% to begin with) and the whole thing turned into a giant popularity contest. The folks I felt deserved it most got the shaft because they weren't the popular kids. It sucked. |
| #22 :: April 24th, 2012 @ 3:50 PM | |
Made a Living  1,858 Posts 485 Achievements |
This reminds me of the time my freshman geometry teacher tried to convince us to not
I think that the whole valedictorian thing is massively overrated. It means you had the highest GPA in your class--and so what? If you have twenty other kids in your class, that's not saying much. If you have six hundred kids in your class, then competition usually boils down to decimal places and the title essentially becomes worthless--seriously, in my graduating class, the valedictorian had something-thousandth advantage on the salutatorian. The only time class placement is useful is when college applications come round. No one you meet at college cares that you were valedictorian, and hiring managers don't care either.
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| #23 :: April 25th, 2012 @ 2:12 AM | |
| Ven is a Skilled Hooker  2,033 Posts 374 Achievements |
I really don't think being valedictorian really matters...at all, though. Like it is literally pointless. Example: our second goes to Brown, our valedictorian to UCLA. Our 9th? Columbia. Once you're in the top 1-2% of your class, rank matters jack crap to colleges, that's where the extra stuff comes in. In other words it's not worth making a big deal about.
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| #24 :: April 25th, 2012 @ 12:52 PM | |
| Dia is a Mirage  4,781 Posts 779 Achievements |
 Ah, your Valedictorian class standing did turn out to be a little weird. Usually the system works in the most involved/smartest student's favor if the school does it by GPA since they probably are involved in the school. However, I think it might have been somewhat of a fluke that this happened in your year. It sounds like a rarity. While I do think being Valedictorian should be based upon more than GPA - I don't know how such an involvement ranking would take place. You could argue that one person is more involved in the school than other and they could both have average grades. It's a lot more subjective. I mean, the whole point of a ranking GPA system with Valedictorian/Salutatorian is so that it's level with other schools across the country so students can compare the title to their own graduating class. I think your class was definitely the oddity, but instead of changing the involvement factor for the Valedictorian title around the country (which would be really hard), it would probably better if your school change how the grades factor into the title. Trick or Treat @ DiaRed TextRed TextRed TextRed Text
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| #25 :: April 25th, 2012 @ 1:28 PM | |
| VIP is a DANCING QUEEN  3,199 Posts 611 Achievements |
makes no sound We don't have any clubs/other extracurricular activities at our school at all, so I assume the decision is solely based on grades. We don't really have a 'valedictorian' in the same sense as schools in the US seem to have though. When I graduated junior high, one of my classmates had the highest grades, so he made a short speech during the graduation ceremony, but that was it. I have no idea how it works in senior high though. But yeah, I think it would be better to choose by the grades. It would probably be a very complicated and difficult process if you had to take all the other things into consideration too.
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| #26 :: April 26th, 2012 @ 11:11 PM | |
| Sarah is a Sun-Worshipper  2,234 Posts 662 Achievements |
Where I live Valedictorians were done a little differently. My High School had a male, and female valedictorian, and they were elected by the Grad Class. I think to be nominated, you had to submit a nomination form signed by at least 10 other members of the Grad Class (my grad class was around 320 students I think). Once all nomination forms were in, candidates had to write up a small demo speech on why we should elect them and present them at a Grad Assembly during lunch hour. I think we had 10 female candidates and 3 male. Our female valedictorian happened to be the student who most likely had the highest GPA (she ended up going to Harvard..), and the male candidate did the best demo speech, but I wasn't overly found of their actual speeches at the Grad Ceremony. In a way I kind of like our system because on paper there's an opportunity for everyone to have a shot at valedictorian, but at the same time you also run the risk of it becoming a popularity contest. One of the sports teams (loudly) supported one of the candidates without ever hearing her speech, because they liked her. I felt like from what we saw during the Candidate speeches, the 3-4 people who did the best got the most votes, but I feel like it could also just as easily turn into a popularity contest when you choose the person rather than the presentation.
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| #27 :: May 4th, 2012 @ 10:19 PM | |
| Miss_Vee is a Skilled Hooker  95 Posts 223 Achievements |
My school not only didn't do ranking, but also had no prom king/queen, homecoming dance, or valedictorian. As such, I don't really know first hand what the purpose of a valedictorian is, or how they should be chosen. Though if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say GPA is the best way to go to choose them. As has been stated previously, it's the easiest factor to quantify, and the fact that the duel enrollment is easier than AP at your school really should make this more of an issue about how the two course types are weighted, and not about whether valedictorian should be picked solely on grades.
What you are describing as your school's valedictorian nominees is basically what my school had in student government. Both the class president and vice president spoke at graduation, and they were people who were well known for both grades and extra-curriculars. So I would say that valedictorian should be based on grades while class president should be that more well-rounded person. I mean, I'm pretty sure college valedictorians are picked just based on grades, and grades are what determine whether you graduate summasweet oreo cream fillinglaude or whatever. I don't know, I didn't pay much attention at my high school graduation, and I didn't even go to my college grad, so maybe I don't really know what I'm talking about :p |
| #28 :: May 29th, 2012 @ 12:13 PM | |
| wimora is Darksided!  553 Posts 339 Achievements |
BUT most of the students who were in the running for being valedictorian were in nearly every club, did volunteer work/college courses in their free time.... i would say chose them by their GPA and by their involvement, they should be well rounded as an individual and a student
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| #29 :: May 29th, 2012 @ 1:34 PM | |
| Cole is a Billionaire  583 Posts 453 Achievements |
My school only uses GPA as a determining factor, so my graduating class has eight valedictorians and two salutatorians. I understand that each person who made it worked hard to earn their title, but I feel in this case they should have used some other factor, like overall involvement in school. It just seems kind of ridiculous to me that we have so many valedictorians that our administration has to limit each of their speeches to a minute long, just so everyone will have enough time to speak. :I I don't know if it'd be best to take anything but GPA into consideration in a "normal" situation, but I think other factors should be used when a school ends up with something like an eight-way tie. /: Last Edit by: User not found (1): Vizuete 5/29/12 - 1:42:03 pm
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| #30 :: June 9th, 2012 @ 1:32 AM | |
| murdockie Newbie  4 Posts 61 Achievements |
GPA is best, because its hard to fairly say who is better suited to be valedictorian based on the activities they did.
However, because my school is GPA-based, we had A LOT of valedictorians. It was ridiculous. So its a tough call.
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| #31 :: June 12th, 2012 @ 12:00 PM | |
| onii is a Skilled Hooker  705 Posts 564 Achievements |
I do think GPA should be the only factor that decides who is valedictorian; however, not all classes are created equal. My little sister is in an extremely competitive high school and is in the top 10% of her class, but is on the lower end because of two things: French and orchestra. Orchestra is not an AP class, which brings her GPA down when she takes it. French was not AP until she got to French III or IV (I can't remember which), also bringing her GPA down. Why are schools discouraging extracurricular activities like this? While these things look good on an application, most extremely competitive colleges focus on GPA and standardized test scores (especially med schools). My sister wants to get into a really good science school, but her GPA is a bit too low for it because of her love of music and language. It just really upsets me that she is punished for being talented at multiple things.
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