Ft. Wayne MarketLocal News

Homestead does away with valedictorian tradition, Dwenger may follow

(Source: https://goo.gl/NezSFs License: https://goo.gl/OOAQfn)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A high school graduation tradition is going away at a local high school.

Homestead High School will not be naming a valedictorian or salutatorian at next month’s commencement, joining a national trend to do away with the system that some say singles out students and puts more stress on those at the top of the class.

That’s according to what Homestead Principal Dr. Park Ginder tells Fort Wayne’s NBC:

“It was a way to honor more students for excellence, while also taking pressure off those at the very top.”

Bishop Dwenger High School officials say they may also abandon the valedictorian tradition in the near future for a tiered system that recognizes students with a GPA ranging from 3.6 to 4.0.

Dwenger Guidance Director Lora McGuire says the current setup is actually hurting some students’ chances of getting into colleges like Purdue University Fort Wayne or Indiana University:

“When we talked with them they said you’ve got to get rid of the class rank, that’s what’s hurting your kids. If we can focus on the classes that they’re taking, the grades they’ve earned in those classes and the test scores, then they have a better shot of getting into our school.”

Related posts

Scary Moments for Some FW Students on School Bus

Kayla Blakeslee

Fort Wayne Police Department revokes Texas company’s permit

Saige Driver

Indiana businesses hiring ex-offenders amid tight job market

AP News

2 comments

Deanna Arnold May 17, 2019 at 3:42 pm

Then let’s do away with SAT’s, ISTEP, and any form of testing or measure. They are not fair. (My child has horrible seasonal allergies that puts him at a distinct disadvantage.)

And athletic awards? Throw them all in the trash heap, along with scholarships. No cum laude distinction. No Nobel Prize. No Pulitzer.b No reason to strive. It only makes others feel inferior.

This is such a steaming pile of horse manure…I cannot even wrap my head around it.

Reply
Pat Christle May 18, 2019 at 9:59 am

wait . . . what? colleges would rather have students who are not ranked over those who are? LMAO —- stupid is as stupid does

Reply

Leave a Comment