The definition of valedictorian: the student having the highest rank in a graduating class who delivers the valedictory address at commencement exercises.
The definition of salutatorian: an academic title given to the second highest-ranking graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline.
Even though the valedictorian definition stipulates the top student, on Saturday during the Marysville High School graduation, 65 seniors were honored as valedictorians for both the high school and STEM school. In order to include the STEM school students for the distinction, the school now awards anyone with better than a 4.2 grade point average as valedictorians, meaning anyone who does better than that is simply part of the group.
The Marysville district is clearly divided with both the high school and STEM school having their own identification numbers, national honor society, homecoming courts and bell schedule. The only thing they share is athletics, a graduation ceremony and taxpayer dollars.
A year ago, a group of taxpayers voiced their opinion about the dilution of the valedictorian award and asked Marysville School Superintendent Diane Mankins to restore the way the school used to recognize the valedictorian and salutatorian – to honor the top two students in the senior class. The group wanted to maintain the Marysville tradition of honoring those seniors who have excelled far above and beyond the rest of the class. The group even offered ideas on how to limit the number of possible honorees during the selection process so that the accolades for the best of the best can be bestowed on the deserving student. But their efforts fell on deaf ears.
After a discussion at a board meeting, Mankins told the board that because some surrounding high schools don’t award the valedictorian title anymore and a few colleges don’t use it as criteria for entrance that was reason enough to dilute the award to where it is today.
The group pointed out to Mankins that it was a local award so what anyone outside Marysville did shouldn’t matter when the district is acknowledging the accomplishments of Marysville seniors.
Using Mankins’ logic with regard to athletics, the school would acknowledge every athlete who competes at the state level in his or her sport rather than honoring the youngster who wins first place and is a state champ. If you talk to student-athletes who have won a title for Marysville, they all want to be recognized as a state champion. The top students in each class want to be recognized for their academic achievement as well.
Debate on this issue has been going on too long, especially when board members continue to say they want taxpayers to come forward so they can hear their concerns about how the district is being run.
We are taking nothing away from the other 63 seniors who are deserving of praise, but the point is that Marysville Schools should have acknowledged Celia Soller and Emma Rice as the top two in the senior class as we did last week In the Journal-Tribune. This would have allowed them to receive their rightful honor and to take their position as speakers at the graduation ceremony, something they earned. Instead, the school has put in place a manufactured lottery system.