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Student with top grades won't be valedictorian
Dallas Morning News ^ | 5/29/2008 | Laurie Fox

Posted on 05/29/2008 8:41:27 PM PDT by TexasNative2000

Grapevine High School senior Anjali Datta holds the highest grade-point average of the 471 students graduating from Grapevine High School this year.

In fact, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials believe her GPA of 5.898 may be the highest in the high school's history.

(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: gpa
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To: phoenix0468

I can see the problem of some kid realizing he won’t make the top spot at his school and then transferring to another school just to take away the top spot away from another student. So I understand the reason for the rule, but it needs to be amended for those who simply end early without a transfer.


41 posted on 05/29/2008 9:12:15 PM PDT by Kirkwood (Ask me again tomorrow.)
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To: TexasNative2000; rightwinggoth
My Name Is Earl

, Earl is unconscious in a hospital. A Indian doctor made his diagnosis.
Joy "Well, thanks, but, we're gonna get a second opinion... from a real doctor, you know, a Jewish one!"

Doctor "Hey, Indians are the new Jews."

Darnell "I thought that was the Koreans."

Doctor "They wish!"

42 posted on 05/29/2008 9:16:03 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy ("Never apologize, Mister. It's a sign of weakness" - Nathan Brittles)
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To: Rightwing Conspiratr1

I have the same question... I know that when I was in high school an undisclosed time back... You could take “Advanced” classes that were weighted. That meant that on a 4pt. scale, an “A” was weighted as 5pts, a “B” at 4 pts, and so on.

But your guess is as good as mine how you could get over a 5 pt.


43 posted on 05/29/2008 9:16:19 PM PDT by TheBattman (LORD God, please give us a Christian Patriot with a backbone for President in 08, Amen.)
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To: TexasNative2000
Our son ran into the exact same problem. He graduated after three years, and was denied valedictorian, despite the fact that his GPA was far higher than anyone else in the school.

And now he makes half a million$ a year!

44 posted on 05/29/2008 9:18:39 PM PDT by LiteKeeper (Beware the secularization of America; the Islamization of Eurabia)
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To: TexasNative2000

From the article:

“This really diminishes the value of the valedictorian title,” she said.

Yeah, by about the worth of a one-year scholarship from the State.

My twin brother and I graduated a year early from Tennessee Preparatory School in 1977. We had to complete Senior English during the summer months. But the whole thing created hay at graduation, which occurred in June, before we’d completed Senior English. As wards of the State of Tennessee, we were also eligible for full scholarships, but we had to compete for those as Juniors against regular Seniors. We both got scholarships in the end, but there was alot of acrimony. We’d come in one/two on the ACT and SAT against the Senior class, so that helped. But no Senior Prom for us. No Year Book with Senior pictures, blah blah blah.


45 posted on 05/29/2008 9:19:04 PM PDT by perchprism
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To: TexasNative2000

And with certain pre-AP and AP classes you can test out and get college credits.

My cousin was in the top 20 for the first half of his senior year. He became ill at right before the Christmas break. Because he was in Texas Childrens for about six weeks, the district required him to withdrawl from Cy-Fair and enroll in HISD(blech). They said he was no longer living in the district. It knocked him way down in rankings. However, he tested out of many college classes and started Texas Tech the next fall as a sophomore.


46 posted on 05/29/2008 9:23:56 PM PDT by Jaded ("I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it."- Joseph Ratzinger)
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To: Joann37
What a tragic story. Too bad the school district lacks the wisdom to reward her for her accomplishments.

It's not really tragic. She'll end up with a full scholly to ANY school she likes.

Princeton, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Duke, Rice, Stanford, Sam Houston State University (Go Bearkats!), Dartmouth, Penn. or the like.

47 posted on 05/29/2008 9:24:04 PM PDT by adm5 (Roger That. - MA2 Michael A. Monsoor, USN - Medal of Honor Recipient Posthumously)
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To: Kirkwood

Agreed, in my high school the top student was beaten by a transfer student with better grades. He won all the awards except that the football coach would not play him because on the team he had not paid his dues.

The solution is to honor this student and record that the second place student took an extra year to finish. She should have the award as well.

Unfortunately, there are conflicts like this that occur every year because policies are constantly being tested by new situations. It is strange that a school could not find a better solution.


48 posted on 05/29/2008 9:26:09 PM PDT by KC_for_Freedom (California engineer and teacher)
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To: TexasNative2000

Think of it as real world training. My experience in both the military and civilian job market has shown me that the hardest and best performing worker seldom gets the promotion.


49 posted on 05/29/2008 9:27:15 PM PDT by OA5599
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To: Loud Mime

“Stupid Rules, stupid bureaucrats.”
Or as Rush Limbaugh might say “The New Castratti”


50 posted on 05/29/2008 9:29:19 PM PDT by haroldeveryman
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To: TexasNative2000
which brings a one-year college scholarship from the state.

I have a feeling she won't have to worry about attending college in Texas, anyway.

51 posted on 05/29/2008 9:30:28 PM PDT by rock_lobsta (Not Your Ordinary Crustacean.)
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To: TexasNative2000

Of course, “valedictorian” literally designates the “farewell speaker”, who on the face of it, might be chosen by any means, subjective or objective. I suppose that the association with the highest academic standing is long established. ( Wikipedia says little more than this. )

The bitterness that seems to attend the competition for this award makes me sympathize with the anti-competition view of things, which I usually shun. At least, it seems to me, the honor should consist in the actual privilege of giving the farewell address. It is the inflated prestige and advantage that this title confers that makes it such a bone of contention.


52 posted on 05/29/2008 9:34:23 PM PDT by dr_lew
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To: OA5599
Think of it as real world training. My experience in both the military and civilian job market has shown me that the hardest and best performing worker seldom gets the promotion.

... but time and chance happeneth to them all!

53 posted on 05/29/2008 9:36:42 PM PDT by dr_lew
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To: TexasNative2000

Some public schools are be run by the stupidest people in America.


54 posted on 05/29/2008 9:38:19 PM PDT by devere
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To: LiteKeeper

He who laughs last laughs best...
Give my congratulations and best regards to your son. I hope he enjoys his work.

(I’m drawing a blank on “success is the best...? (revenge?)


55 posted on 05/29/2008 9:40:59 PM PDT by AprilfromTexas
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To: adm5

JoAnn is right. Not much of a tragedy here. The young woman will have plenty of scholarship offers and the “honor” of being valedictorian has become a hollow one. I asked a recent valedictorian from our local high school the secret of her success. The answer? Know which classes to take pass-fail and how to avoid classes that will lower your GPA. At our high school, for instance, one trick is to be sure to take the online AP course rather than regular economics. An A in “regular” economics counts as a 4.0 grade, and lowers the overall GPA of anyone in the top 10% of the class. An A in the online class gives you a 5.0 grade. It’s game-playing, not academic performance, that differentiates the top dozen students.


56 posted on 05/29/2008 9:41:43 PM PDT by jwalburg (I live in the 57th state.)
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To: jwalburg
When I was a senior (let's not discuss the year) I witnessed a raging hissy fit by a girl in my Senior English Honors class. The cause of the fit? Our teacher had graded her essay as a 92 and graded another students essay as a 96.

These two students were #1 and #2 in the senior class and argued the entire year over EVERY SINGLE GRADE they were given. It was miserable and tawdry.

57 posted on 05/29/2008 9:46:47 PM PDT by TexasNative2000 (Is this tagline governed by McCain-Feingold?)
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To: TexasNative2000

Is Anjali Datta a U.S. citizen? Non citizens should not be getting scholarships paid for by the government. If she is a citizen, there may be a bit of racism in play here.

It’s all about the money.


58 posted on 05/29/2008 9:47:00 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: SeaHawkFan
Any reason to think she's not a citizen?
59 posted on 05/29/2008 9:48:10 PM PDT by TexasNative2000 (Is this tagline governed by McCain-Feingold?)
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To: TexasNative2000

I understand the honor of being called the Valedictorian, but I don’t understand why she’s worried about getting the scholarship from the State of Texas. With that GPA, and having completed high school in three years, there are likely several private colleges that would be willing to offer her a nice scholarship.


60 posted on 05/29/2008 9:48:16 PM PDT by SuziQ
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