Posted on 07/13/2015 2:15:11 AM PDT by markomalley
The top student in a high school’s graduating class used to earn the honor of being the valedictorian, and traditionally that one student delivered a commencement speech that helped send his or her classmates out into the adult world.
But at Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School this year, there were 117 valedictorians out of a class of 457. At Long Beach Polytechnic in California, there were 30. And at some schools — including North Hills High outside of Pittsburgh and high schools in Miami — there were none.
The nation’s high schools are changing the way they recognize top students, struggling to balance praise for them while also quelling unhealthy competition among classmates as the college application process grows more cutthroat.
The result? Some say schools have deflated the meaning of a well-earned and time-honored accolade while also vexing college admissions officers, who don’t know if a student finished first or 100th in the class. Others say getting rid of valedictorians entirely allows students to focus on their achievements without worrying about where they fall in the pecking order.
“Education’s not a game. It’s not about ‘I finished first and you finished second,’ ” said North Hills Superintendent Patrick J. Mannarino, who was the North Hills High principal when the school got rid of the valedictorian designation in 2009. “That high school diploma declares you all winners.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
This narcissistic society that the leftists have created will have no good end for any of us.
I always find it interesting to see articles like this from the Washington Post. They are the very type of people who advance this kind of stupidity, and then, when it happens, lament it, as if they had nothing to do with it.
You are unique.
Just like everyone else.
"...The nation’s high schools are changing the way they recognize top students, struggling to balance praise for them while also quelling unhealthy competition among classmates as the college application process grows more cutthroat..."
Why? Why is "competition" unhealthy? Because there are winners and losers?
What a bunch of deranged idiots.
30+ yrs ago, I was in trade school with dude. His grad class from HS was 30 or 40 students, they all graduated as valedictorins or salutorians, the difference in grade point avarage was in 100’s of a point.
I thought was strange until I spoke with others from small HS classes, was usual back then
Valedictorian last month in our case was someone everyone loves. A guy. All the other guys who competed are better for it. They NEED the humility
Humility is way WAY underrated
Wasn’t it Lombardi himself who stated, ‘winning isn’t the only thing. It’s everything’?
I’ll look it up
Here it is, from wik:
“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” This infamous quote, often attributed to Vince Lombardi, actually orginated with college football coach Red Saunders, though Lombardi did say it as well.
It wasn’t usual in regular high schools at the time.
These “everyone gets a trophy” kids are the same ones who, now in college, can’t handle being made “uncomfortable” by others. They are so wrapped in bubble wrap that they can’t function in the real world.
Was not the norm at my high school. Class size if I remember correctly 700+
What a bunch of BS.
Competition drives people to become better. If you can’t do something well, you go back and practice and study until you can do it better. And, even if you don’t win, you will have improved.
Removing competition removes incentive. If everyone gets a gold medal, then no one has to improve their performance, and the medal itself means nothing to anyone.
Give everybody an A so as to avoid charges of racism.
Humility is a virtue so it must be eliminated. Pride, the top sin, takes its place. The crowd goes wild.
Speaking from personal experience, I have found losing some of the time is the best motivator for future success. Remove losers and remove excellence.
I sawed a forty foot mullberry down one year. I didn’t know it was mullberry at the time. Two years later it was a vastly superior tree, sending strong hydra trunks north and south with fruited branches in all directions.
The new slogan is “Winning is for Losers”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.