In contrast to the art awards and my oldest son’s lack of recognition (at one point, I turned to my wife and asked if we were sure he was the Salutatorian), my freshman son received an award for being the top student in a Freshman Social Studies class. The department head read a short tribute written by the teacher that both recognized my son’s achievement and encouraged him to challenge himself more in the coming years.
They do not tell the students what they will be recognized for, nor do the invitations mailed home disclose that information to the parents. It was a nice surprise for us, and for him - especially since he has lived with, “Oh, you’re _____'s little brother!” for so long.
I know that many awards that others might dismiss can be meaningful to the recipient. Hopefully being one of 19 award winners for Art 1 won’t be the highlight of anyone’s academic career, though.