Student with top grades won't be valedictorian

Dallas Morning News ^ | 5/29/2008 | Laurie Fox

[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.

[TexasNative2000]

I, too, doubt she is worried about the scholarship funds. I would think that a family with this type of work ethic is more concerned about the honor and fairness of the situation.

[SeaHawkFan]

A look at her picture and her name; and it is a reasonable question to ask. It’s not like her name is Susie Smith.

[SuziQ]

And now he makes half a million$ a year!

Living well is the best revenge! ;o)

[LukeL]

Same thing happens when NCAA players enter the draft a year early and give up their amateur status.

[cricket]

There is 'no light' that reflects from ANY facet of Liberalism; so it confounds me; that people keep returning; hovering; believing . . .as if there were.

This politically-correct, 'feel-good' pap needs to go into the garbage dump of history. . . WHERE are the voices of Reason?

[TexasNative2000]

So...........

Sean Hannity sounds and looks pretty darn Irish to me. Are we sure he's a citizen?

[Eva]

You don’t understand the socialistic premise of the public school that decries competition.

Many high schools have a board of teachers and administrators who select graduation speakers from among written speeches that are submitted by students. So, while the highest grade point average may get the title, the kid doesn’t give the valedictory speech.

[Everydayiwritethebook]

It doesn’t really matter in the end. She knows her GPA and universities have certainly been clamoring for her with scholarships... So the school district isn’t used to this type of situation, big deal. SHE won’t suffer from it unless everyone tells her that she’s going to. All the Ivy League schools will have already gone for her even without the title of Valedictorian.

When I graduated high school, the 2 top spots were given to 2 girls who were vocational school students and people were upset for the students who were in college prep classes but they went to the schools of their choice anyway. And I don’t remember anyone being nasty to the 2 who got the titles. We just got on with it.

Sometimes, people make a fuss over things that, well, OK, might seem unfair, but the consequences aren’t devastating to anyone involved.

No one said life was fair.

[SuziQ]

I would think that a family with this type of work ethic is more concerned about the honor and fairness of the situation.

Oh, no doubt! Especially since she had been told specifically by the counselor that finishing high school in three years wouldn't be a problem. I'm sure that she and her parents feel a keen sense of betrayal, even if it wasn't intentional on the part of the counselor.

[Azzurri]

This family should stop their whining and just take the high road. With a 5.9+ whatever GPA, I find it hard to believe she can’t get a full ride scholarship to the school of her choice. Yeah, she probably should’ve been awarded the valedictorian, but they need to get over it already...it’s not the end of the world.

[topher]

I had a similar but different in High School.

My Senior year, I went 1/2 day to college, 1/2 day to high school. I ran track, and I commuted via bicycle. I also had a part time job at McDonalds.

My second semester I made the mistake of taking 10 hours (or 10 credits in college). These were World Civilization, Computer Science (COBOL, I think), and Calculus I.

I ran Cross Country, and won trophies at all meets that awarded trophies.

I had a problem with track, as I funked one semester of English (I had to read a novel, and with my academic load, I focused on college first, high school second).

I basically crashed and burn that semester -- lost my girlfriend -- was ineligible for track (my coach wanted to just run the mile, the half mile, and two mile runs -- all at the same meet.

Alot of this was my fault -- I was an overachiever. I guess I should have backed off...

Finally, my summer vacation was to work as a galleyhand on an offshore oil platform -- I commuted by helicopter to work...

[gogov]

The dispute over Anjali's status as valedictorian comes down to interpretation: Does four years mean calendar years of school attendance or does it mean completing the credits it takes most students four years to earn?

It means the school wants her in school for four years so they can collect money for each year of her attendance. The school is obviously not concerned with how quickly she get through the required curriculum.

[gogov]

If an straight A's is 4.0, then how is a 5.898 even possible.

It wasn't fair that not enough people were getting 4.0.

[gogov]

I got straight A’s and no one asked me to be a valedictorian. And I just spelled valedictorian correctly without using spell check first.

[svxdave]

“A look at her picture and her name; and it is a reasonable question to ask. It’s not like her name is Susie Smith”

Or ... in Texas ... that her name is not Susie Sanchez.

[cricket]

This is how Liberal's imagine, 'unity'. . .how they go about reducing 'divisivness' in our culture. . .this is their example of what they think are their virtues of 'color-Race blindness'; while promoting their 'Edenesque', egalitarian playing field'; to which they are determined to drag us all onto. The field where 'change' takes place. ..

We have been forewarned, of course in many messages. Liberalism is an ugly pretender; the wolf in 'sheeps clothing'. . .or the one hiding in Grandmother's nightgown.

(Oh Grandmother (!). . .'what big eyes you have'. . .Little 'Red' knows her 'PC'.)

And she is saved by her wits; only when she drops it; and so recognizes the truth and 'calls the wolf out'. . .

There IS a lesson here. . .

[Tired of Taxes]

Those darned Indians and Asians study too much and work too hard and don’t get in trouble with drugs and sex, etc. It’s not fair if they aren’t a bunch of illiterate goof offs like the rest of the “real” Americans. Now if she were black or Hispanic, they’d have to give her the award.

This girl received a free education in a public school, courtesy of the taxpayers. A special valedictorian title was created for her. Most likely she is eligible for other scholarships, and she will be accepted into the school of her choice. She may even be eligible for financial assistance and other goodies. The system wasn't so unfair to her.

Some kids do not attend school at all, excel through study on their own, and begin college much younger than this girl will. My son (who is black, btw, and a real American) is on that track now. He will never be eligible for handouts because he is not in the system and our income is on the higher end. All we do is pay into the system for these kids and their families who feel entitled to everything. No matter what her GPA, she is not entitled to valedictorian and a scholarship. The school has its rules, and her parents chose to send her there.

[El Gato]

My daughter would not have been eligible under this criteria. She too graduated in 3 years instead of 4. But that put her graduation where it "should" have been, since we'd kept her out of kindergarten for an extra year. August birthday, and she really wasn't socially ready, even though she was academically ready.

Now she's a PhD student and graduate assistant at U. Texas.

[Reagan79]

“We should each donate $20 to create” a scholarship for her”

I am sure she has enough scholarship with a perfect ACT score.

[Mila]

Certainly some business or individual in that community could spring for a scholarship for this girl. She deserves it.