Forums >Off the Beaten Path>High school valedictorian
Village people
A general question. Does anyone remember when their high school chose the valedictorian? Or your kids’ school? We are proposing a date change at our high school so I thought I’d ask for more information.
thanks
an amazing likeness
Based on GPA in the penultimate term. IE graduation term -1.
(...There was controversy because the valedictorian got some low grade in driver's ed [a graded class back in those times when the earth's crust was still cooling] in the semester before graduation which would have broken a three-way tie had grades in that last term counted...)
...not that any of us beer-swilling slackers gave a crap about the angst of all those geeks vying to have their names on the graduation program and get into little Ivy schools.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Is this the most low key humblebrag about your kid post ever?
Not only do I not remember, but I don't think I ever knew the answer to this. My kids who have graduated all got really good grades, but not *that* good.
Thinking about it, our valedictorian is not so much chosen as determined by GPA, and is not announced until the dreaded baccalaureate which is usually a few days before graduation--about 2 weeks after the seniors' last day. So I can surmise from this that the valedictorian is "chosen" once the final semester grades have been submitted and tallied.
Runners run
Not my kid, lol. Our school has a community council that holds a lot of power. It is comprised of mostly students. The principal has proposed this change and we spent a fair bit of time discussing it and will likely vote on it next week. There are two trains of thought. Administration is worried about the wrong student being given this honor while students are concerned about added stress to seniors who are in the running. I see both sides. Our seniors do a very involved senior project which includes an applied piece, essay and 20 min presentation (mine is doing his on running so I might be back).
rectumdamnnearkilledem
My brother and one of my closest childhood friends were both salutatorians...I should see if they remember. I'm sure different schools handle it differently. I seem to recall there was some significance surrounding the end of the first semester of senior year, for college scholarships/grants for top graduates. My HS followed a quarters-based schedule...IIRC the ranking was done based-upon GPA after the 3rd quarter.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
That sounds early. College applications are now and early admission is Nov15th so it isn’t going to add anything to a transcript if it is decided in the spring. I guess if it is a known deadline… I was thinking about my kids. If kids are not reading and writing in kindergarten they are practically behind. Mine weren’t (I’m a rebel) but so much stress on kids. Is it too much to ask to have your senior year a year of ticking off some of that stuff before heading to college? SATs- check, Common app- check, got into a school- check.
Thanks for the info and reading my thoughts.
My valedictorian didn’t go to college and went to work for UPS
My high school didn't do weighted grades and my valedictorian took no Honors or AP classes. He didn't take classes beyond basic graduation requirements (ie. no calc, no physics). It was kind of a joke but he finished with the best GPA. We all knew it but there was no controversy. That's just how he chose to "play the game."
If my memory serves, our salutatorian ran cross country with me and went on to Dartmouth.
My HS introduced weighted grades at the start of my freshman year. There were two guys who took honors everything and got straight As. The only difference was that one of them took a class in summer school just before freshman year, so it was not weighted. He got #2 and the other guy got #1. He was a little miffed about it.
Dave
It must have been based off of the 3rd quarter grades. My high school had AP and IB courses, so a whole bunch of people were well over a 4.0.
Problem Child
I wasn't ever smart enough to be considered, and I don't know anyone who ever was one. I like to tell myself those who earned this title make a point of telling people frequently. I don't think they ever tell people "it was March 14 and I was told I'd be the valedicktorian if I'd keep my gpa as high as possible for the rest of the school year, and the other person was close by so I couldn't lose a single point."
It should be the last semester's grade. Tell the kid the week of graduation after finals, or as close to after finals as possible. They write a speech no one but their parents care about, and mostly brag about how great their years in high school were. I can't tell you who earned it in my high school, and ... wait....the administration is worried about giving it to the wrong kid? Students are worried about stress? wow. Just cancel the valedictorian and every is safe. No one care about second or third place?
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
My HS didn't do weighted grades (maybe they do now)...one quarter with a B+ in PE knocked my brother out of the top spot. Meanwhile the kid who snagged valedictorian was not a National Merit Scholar and participated in minimal extra-curriculars. The scenario in my graduating class was similar. Our #2 was a more well-rounded and involved student.
One day at a time
I was valedictorian but only because the smart girl in our class graduated a year early and wasn't eligible, ha. It was nice, because Texas colleges give valedictorians free tuition their first year of school. I think that benefit meant that high schools had to determine #1 earlier in the year.
I would think so. That is a great incentive!
You guys have given me lots to think about. My high school didn’t have any of this stuff. My kids’ school does not currently have weighted GPA’s and I am now wondering how Valedictorian is determined.
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