[PhiKapMom]

Here in Norman, OK, we don't have valedictorians and the speakers are chosen by the class. When my daughter graduated they had 41 students with a 4.0 average that graduated with Honors. Even with Honors classes you cannot make over a 4.0 here.

[Sonny M]

I always believed that a school should have a valedictorian, its tradition and its a nice way to reward a students who have done the best. For those who don't make it, they are still on the honor roll. I know some schools, you can get over a 4.0, alot of honors programs automatically add points to your average.

[DensaMensa]

Even with Honors classes you cannot make over a 4.0 here.

That's due to "grade inflation" which began in the '60s. Before then almost no one made a 4.0 so picking the Val and Sal was not difficult. If there was a tie, they flipped a coin.

[HitmanLV]

My high school, Regis High in NYC, elected its valedictorian also.

[em2vn]

Is it possible your school is too damn easy? 41 students with a 4.0 seems excessive unless you have an extremely large senior class. Maybe your honors program exists in name only.
If the class picks the speakers without regard to academic accomplishment it appears your speakers are the result of a popularity contest.
It sounds as if you may be burdened with one lazy school administration or school board, possibly both.

[JohnBovenmyer]

I had a cousin in Waterloo, IA graduate as one of 17 co-validictorians a few years back, all with perfect GPAs as proof of the school's grade inflation. When I graduated in Bettendorf, IA a few years further back the term valedictorian wasn't used. The top 3 students were honored. As we'd gone through a variety of grading systems they announced the number of grade points earned out of the number possible for each. There was just one clear academic winner, who was happy the class speaker was chosen independently.

[Salvation]

Sounds like some School Boards need to get un-elected!

[Bob Quixote]

At my class, they had three commencement speakers--two co-valedictorians and one chosen by the class. The class chose some football player who was about a C student, of course. I think a teacher wrote his speech--not that anyone listens to the speeches, anyhow.

Letting the kids choose commencement speakers is always disastrous. In my day, the outside speaker was someone with some dignity--the local congressman, a college professor, someone like that. The last graduation I covered for the local paper (about 10 years ago) featured a speech by a local shock-radio morning DJ.