Maybe Every Graduating Senior Deserves to Be Tops

The Oregonian ^ | April 28, 2006 | Amy Tsuan and Steven Carter

[Wicket]

At Beaverton's Westview High School, it'll take a bus to transport all 75 valedictorians to the Class of 2006 graduation ceremony.

At Southridge High, the lone valedictorian could get there on a motorcycle.

And it's not because Westview has more top-achieving seniors.

For the first time, the Beaverton School District is using a new grading system for seniors that gives extra grade points for taking challenging courses. But the district allowed each high school to figure how to apply the new grade system to choosing valedictorians.

The result? Wildly different numbers of valedictorians at each school. ------- said Jared Cordon, Aloha vice principal. "Seventy-five valedictorians is ridiculous. We don't have a budget for 75 medallions." --------- "We're talking about many different things, including, is there a need for a valedictorian? It's kind of an old vestige," Miller said. --------- For generations, a valedictorian was not only a straight-A student but the top scholar in the class, often recognized by giving the graduation speech.

But under the weighting system used to pick 75 valedictorians at Westview, for instance, a student could earn a B in an advanced class and still be honored alongside students who earned all A's. ----- Irene Libov, 18, will be named valedictorian of Southridge this year. She's on the waiting list at Harvard. She said she worked hard throughout high school to go to college, not to become valedictorian. ------ "I think recognition is important, but it makes other students feel inferior," Libov said. "I don't think graduation should be a time when students get recognition over someone else."

"In a perfect world, we would have all students achieving at that level," said Mike Osborne, Beaverton School Board chairman. "They would all be valedictorians."

Amy Hsuan: 503-294-5954; amyhsuan@news.oregonian.com Steven Carter: 503-221-8521; stevencarter@news.oregonian.com

[Wicket]

It's nice to see that the young lady who actually, honestly, received the sole valedictorian at another school thinks it's inappropriate . . .

[Clock King]

I think recognition is important, but it makes other students feel inferior

Then their butts should have studied harder and did less rebelling and partying. I'm serious.

[SouthernFreebird]

My daughter is in the top 3 of her class, she worked hard and deserves the recognition. It gives the smart kids something to compete over.

[Yo-Yo]

For the first time, the Beaverton School District is using a new grading system for seniors that gives extra grade points for taking challenging courses.

Most High Schools were doing this 30 years ago. In advanced classes such as Calculus or Physics, an A was worth 5.0 points instead of the normal 4.0.

Keeps a shop major from becoming class valedictorian. There's no way that there was a 75 way tie for top honors, so that school must have made any student with a 4.0 GPA valedictorian, including students that got a B (4.0) in an advanced placement class. That's their problem, not the grade point system's problem.