Is the concept of a high school valedictorian outdated?

[True Dough]

Some Colorado schools are doing away with the tradition of selecting a high school valedictorian. Do you think it's a progressive move or is it unreasonable?

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — Cherry Creek Schools is the latest district to get rid of the of valedictorian designation.

In a letter sent to parents on March 9, the district said in part, "The practices of class rank and Valedictorian status are outdated and inconsistent with what we know and believe." The letter goes on to explain that beginning with the graduating class of 2026, the designation of valedictorian will no longer be used.

The valedictorian title is traditionally given to the student with the highest academic standing among their graduating class.

The district said it's decision was multi-factored, citing inconsistencies among valedictorians across its schools, unnecessary pressure and waning significance in the college admissions process.

The announcement prompted mixed feedback from parents.

thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/cherry-creek-schools-to-end-valedictorian-designation

[Celerity]

1. Extremely few nations even have one, we certainly do not in the UK and Sweden

The only places who have it are the United States, Canada, Kuwait, Egypt, Philippines, and finally elsewhere in a limited number of schools. Even if there is a top student named, they do not always give a speech.

No great loss at all if the US joins most of the rest of the world and flushes it down the loo.

Rethugs will bark a lot and blame the libs, but they can go sod the fuck off.

[North Shore Chicago]

2. I thought

it a noble idea to have one or more students be a stand out in a particular school. You get amazing grades, one should be recognized and applauded for the hard work.

[meadowlander]

3. Who at 18 actually wants to give a motivational speech to a gym full of bored peers?

It's mostly for their parents' benefit anyway.

And there are lots of different ways to be exceptional - not just the highest GPA. I think the more meaningless competition we can take out of schools the better.

[Lonestarblue]

4. The speeches are usually controlled by school administrators, which is why they're boring.

Last year, a Texas valedictorian went off script and gave a speech on abortion rights to protest the Texas law. Having that platform allowed her to gain a far broader audience than just parents and classmates. It got national attention. I think school honors can be important to kids, especially those that are for measurable results like GPA rather than just popularity contests.

“A valedictorian at a Dallas high school planned to discuss media and television in her address at graduation before she made the dramatic decision to scrap her pre-approved remarks to condemn a recently passed "heartbeat" abortion bill in Texas.

Paxton Smith, 18, took the stage at the graduation for Lake Highlands High School on Sunday and spoke out against the law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month that bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, when some women may not even know they are pregnant.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/high-school-valedictorian-goes-off-script-to-condemn-texas-abortion-law-in-speech/ar-AAKFpP5

[wishstar]

6. I had just turned 17 and dreaded it but Vietnam War was still underway

I have never given another speech since then. Never crossed my mind to do an upbeat motivational speech after my wonderful next door neighbor who was 19 had been drafted and killed in Vietnam. I talked about putting up a Vietnam War memorial in our little town and getting legal age to vote lowered from 21 since that hadn't happened yet.

[AngryOldDem]

9. This.

The year before I graduated, the parents of the valedictorian raised hell because there wouldn’t be a speech, although that had never been a thing and they knew it.

Parents can be more competitive than the kids, and it goes double when it’s within families.

[JI7]

5. Nobody really feels pressure to be Valedictorian. Those pressures

have to do with getting into certain schools .

[TxGuitar]

16. I for sure didn't feel the pressure

Maybe because rising up 100 or so places in the class rankings in one year was a little out of reach

[Emile]

7. Time to do away with it. It's usually some teachers kid who gets it anyways.

[AngryOldDem]

8. Some schools have multiple valedictorians.

Thanks to the weight of AP classes.

It’s become kind of meaningless, as is most high school stuff as time passes.

[JHB]

10. Will they be getting rid of sports letters and trophies as well?

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Of course it's outdated now that education isn't the objective

of high schools. Important thing is how many championship teams for a school.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Works for me.

[hamsterjill]

14. I think competition plays a role

In school. In life.

I like the idea of hard work being rewarded and I think the purpose of high school is to teach habits that will be used in life. Finding a job, etc.

I don’t think they should do away with the valedictorian or class ranking. I think it is a motivator for the students who want to excel. For the others who aren’t interested in competing, I don’t think they will care about it so having it should not affect them.

There is always going to be competition.

[MineralMan]

17. Yeah, I tend to agree.

At my high school graduation, all the graduating lettermen and women stood up. All of the members of the honor society stood up. The elected officers of the class stood up. The idea was recognition of achievement. The co-valedictorians gave a speech. My post below talks about that.

Academic achievements are important, too. High school is an educational institution, after all. I can't see any problem with that, nor with recognizing other student achievements, either.

[MineralMan]

15. I have mixed feelings about this.

I graduated from high school in 1963. I was co-valedictorian with another class member. I had no idea that was coming, frankly, and had never thought about it, actually. I was too busy.

So, I had to give a short speech at graduation, and so did the co-valedictorian. She and I worked on that speech together. We were good friends and had been for years. We decided to do the speech as a sort of duet, so there would be only one speech to bore everyone. It was humorous, congratulatory to all of the graduates, and absolutely non-controversial. It lasted just 10 minutes, and got laughs from the audience and class members, and applause when we stopped talking.

Recognition of achievements is always part of graduation ceremonies. The athletic lettermen and women stood up to be recognized. The academic achievers got their moment, too. None of that matters in the long run.

My co-valedictorian became a neurosurgeon. I became a magazine writer, etc. Like everyone else, we just got on with our lives, which only began when we moved away from that little town and found our own paths.

I find nothing wrong with recognizing those who stand out for some reason.

[dawg]

18. I think excellence should be recognized.

My high school class valedictorian was a brilliant young man who applied himself and deserved every accolade he received. (It wasn't me; I made a conscious decision not to try and compete with this guy. He clearly wanted it more.)

I'm a pretty liberal guy, but I don't think there's anything progressive about choosing not to recognize outstanding achievements.

[RobinA]

19. The Only People

who care about such a thing are the people who might actually have a shot at it. I don't even remember who it was at my graduation, and I didn't care about it then. It's kind of meaningless with grade inflation and all kinds of funky ways of quantifying grade point averages these days. I don't think it's problematic, though. A couple kids care about it, compete for it, and then some teacher-approved kid gets it. Let them have their fun, it's at no one's expense.