<p>et tu Brute to my high school:<br>
I recently learned (on CC) about the Robert Byrd award. I am my class's valedictorian and have a 2380 SAT. Very good RECs and ECs. I checked with the state board and my school's nomination was given under the table to a (much) lesser student--a teacher's kid! Worse: That student doesn't need money and I do. He was also given my school's nomination for a full scholarship at my dream school. He didn't get into that college. I am going somewhere else on full scholarship. Who knows what else the school did for the teacher's son??? I guess there is nothing I can do but move on. That money would have been my spending money. And at first, not now, I really wanted that other full scholarship. How could my school, the only support a poor student has stab me in the back?</p>
<p>Very sorry about your case!</p>
<p>Unfortunately schools do have quite a lot of latitude for awards/honors that require a "school's nomination".
These can include Governor's Schools, scholarships (Bryd & others),
senior year awards, etc.
Last year on CC there was an extensive thread about bias/complaints on how senior awards are "chosen".
There does not appear to have any solution in sight to such situations, alas!</p>
<p>The fact that the school gave the "benefits" to a teacher's undeserving child needs to be exposed. </p>
<p>First; contact the school board and give them the info. </p>
<p>Second: Contact your local newspapers and ask for the "education desk" and tell them your story. Ask them to investigate and expose this scandal. Yes, it is a scandal. (If this is a union school I am disgusted with the hypocrisy. Unions claim that they need to exist so that nepotism doesn't happen. In this case, it was PURE nepotism.)</p>
<p>The newspaper will probably not be able to get the other kid's stats but you can give them permission to find out what yours are and the fact that you are Val and number 1 in class (which clearly reveals that the teacher's kid is NOT!!!!) The fact that the kid was not accepted to the scholarship school (which school is it) is more of an indication that his stats were much lower than yours. So even if the journalist can't get the kid's stats, the fact that this school didn't accept him will speak loudly.... (we'll get that school's stats for what stats their students have)</p>
<p>Be sure to mention your economic status to the journalist. They love to expose this kind of stuff especially if it happens to a poor kid. </p>
<p>Also, mention that the school kept the scholarship a "secret" so that others wouldn't find out what they were up to. </p>
<p>You can also threaten to sue. I would find a lawyer.... maybe on this site, a lawyer (from your state) will see this and come to your aid (Gloria Alred may be interested -- she's a huge victims rights atty)</p>
<p>I am going to PM you and make sure you get this.</p>
<p>Schools have some "latitude" but this is ridiculous and needs to be exposed. I can provide more advice...</p>
<p>AID -</p>
<p>It certainly hurts to see an injustice occur. But you've already got a full scholarship, so it's not like your achievements have gone unrecognized. Before you go off and alert the media and file lawsuits, I recommend that you proceed cautiously. Google on the name Blair Hornstine and read up on that case. You may end up with more attention than you wanted. </p>
<p>Some times it's better to let things go and move on.</p>
<p>I am so sorry that this happened. You were cheated by those whom you trusted, and you must feel betrayed. You might get revenge by going to the school board, the newspapers, etc., but things might not turn out as you expect. The teachers, guidance counsellors, and principal who were involved would certainly do whatever they could to defend themselves. Things could get very ugly.</p>
<p>In any case, I don't see what you could gain by going this route. The scholarship opportunities you were cheated of are gone, and from your post you now have a full scholarship to a university that you now prefer to your former dream school. My advice would be to forget this and move forward.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <blockquote> <p>Some times it's better to let things go and move on. <<<</p> </blockquote> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>What's that saying..... All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. </p>
<p>Does the OP have any younger sibs that might be hurt by the school in the future? </p>
<p>If the Val status could be in jeopardy if this "goes public" then I would wait until after grad and all grades have been posted and transcripts sent. </p>
<p>But.... I would not just "let this go....." </p>
<p>This reminds me of a very large company that I used to work for. It had a "company store" which also gave away (first come, first serve) tickets to various sport events, movies, etc. We had heard that the company store would be getting Laker tickets for every home game. Every day we'd go to find out if the tickets had come in yet. Everyday, the gal who ran the store said no. After we found out that other nearby divisions had long received their Laker tickets we began to "smell a rat." We demanded an investigation. It turns out the "manager" had been keeping all the best tickets (including the Laker tickets) for herself, her family and her friends. She was fired.</p>
<p>In the company case, the mgr violated the company policy.
It was a clear cut case & she was fired
(if one did not have "higher up" protections ..)
Good for speaking up & getting the investigation launched.</p>
<p>In school situations, it's murkier if they can "nominate candidates",
w/o a clear spelled out or quantitative criteria.
hence there are always plenty of concerns & complaints wrt Senior Awards,
& other selections & situations.</p>
<p>Be sure you have your facts straight, and that they are substantiated by written evidence. Find a way to get as much information out of the guidance office as you can before you take any other action. Once you make a complaint, those files will be closed to you.</p>
<p>Could you write an article for the school paper on available scholarships?</p>
<p>Depending on the state, shifting the nomination to a "lesser" student could mean that no one from that school is actually awarded the Byrd or it could mean they were aware of the requirements and needed to go to a lesser (on a weighted scale) student to make sure the money is awarded.</p>
<p>In CA, in reality you must have a 4.0 UW to get $, then those people are sorted by SAT...last year they stopped awarding at 4.0.1260 (old SAT) so fairly low SAT (given the CC type competitive levels of kids out there) yet must have 4.0UW.........so, check the criteria for awards in your state. It could be that the valedictorian in a small CA HS has 1 B, but it is AP weighted and so the person is #1, but would get no $ from Byrd whereas #2 or #3 with all As UW would get the money.</p>
<p>That being said, I despise these kinds of school politics with nepotism to teachers kids (many of whom are actually deserving individuals, but either every one thinks they get too many awards, or they are deliberatly over-looked ot avoid the appearance of nepotism) and also the kids of involved parents (PTA, Booster Club, etc.)</p>
<p>I would advise the OP to let this go. It's a no-win situation, and it's more constructive to focus energies on a positive, optimistic end of senior year and planning for next year in a constructive way.</p>
<p>A philosophical attitude may help. There is no way that the OP will ever have access to all the relevant facts. (For example, consider that it might be possible that the teacher's son overcame some unknown obstacles like hidden learning disabilities or medical problems he didn't want to make public, circumstances the school administration had discretion to take into account in making its recommendation.)</p>
<p>Rather than spending the time and emotional energy "getting as much information out of the guidance office as you can," "substantiating by written evidence," writing an article for the school paper, talking to journalists, threatening to sue, I would advise you to research good summer job opportunities, work on a good resume, find a willing adult friend or family member to do practice interviews, research your college website to find the best campus job possibilities for your freshman year and email current students to get their advice on those jobs as well.</p>
<p>I am not one to let things go, if there is an injustice I try to make sure it is at least acknowledged. because who knows, maybe this teacher has more kids that they will pull scholarships away from. I would get the specifics of the scholarship or award and make sure you were the better candidate, backed up by statistics. I would then go all the way to the top, anticipating any questions or roadblocks they would put in front of you, because believe me they will make it look like you are a complete failure, and that other student is the new messiah. I would get my parents involved, and I would go to a pta meeting, open school board meeting and talk to everybody involved, the superintendant, principal, guidance counselors etc. if nothing is resolved, i would contact the newspaper/tv because letting things go means nothing is corrected or fixed, then the next student in need also gets left out. that's not how we should live.</p>
<p>We are talking about a $1500 annual award. I believe it is NOT need based. If it was designated for the student with the best stats in the school then you would have a complaint worth pursuing but apparently there are many subjective factors that go into this award. With your high stats there must be lots of money out there for you. You are right to let this one go. </p>
<br>
<blockquote> <blockquote> <p>In any case, I don't see what you could gain by going this route <<<</p> </blockquote> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>If this is done correctly, several things could be gained.....
If this is done after he graduates (and therefore untouchable) and he doesn't have younger sibs who could be affected, he could be awarded financial retribution from the district.
It will also prevent this school (and others like them) from doing this to other kids by insisting that requirements for such scholarships be "above board" so that the process is a fair process.</p>
<p>To those who think that the kid should just "suck it up", I ask you.... Would you feel the same way if the teacher's kid was a white privileged kid and the rightful recipient was a minority lower income child?</p>
<p>1 clarification wrt Byrd Scholarship, contrary to a previous post about CA's cutoff was SAT~1260,
it's grouped by Congressional Districts in our local state.
In a district with very high performing schools, this meant only those with perfect SAT's (in the last 3 years at least) ended up winning a Byrd scholarship.
Even 1 student who scored 1590, nominated, did not win in the end!
Conversely in a different district, students with lower SATs did win.</p>
<p>Depending on the circumstances of the OP & state selection process,
the outcome is not a done deal.
Though 100% agree with the principle of "fighting injustices",
just not sure how it will all turn out & it could be a tough process!</p>
<p>op:</p>
<p>if you have any younger siblings coming up thru the system, I suggest you let it go until they graduate -- the education establishment has a long memory....</p>
<p>The reason why I advise caution is not because I think injustice is okay, but because winning this will be difficult and even if you win, it may end up costing you more than the victory is worth.</p>
<p>Taking the news media/law suit route is a two-edged sword. To begin with, a the OP has been awarded full scholarship. Someone who has been awarded significant honors and cash but is loudly complaining that he didn't get even more honors and cash is often not a very sympathetic figure. It will be very easy to paint such a person as greedy and grasping. The counter-attack will not only seek to defend the teacher's kid but may try to undermine what the OP has already been awarded.</p>
<p>Unless he can readily document that the teacher's kid is flatly unqualified for the award and this is therefore an open and shut case, the rest of the OP's senior year will likely be a very unpleasant series of school meetings, newspaper articles, court hearings, etc. that will likely not be resolved by time college is ready to start in the fall. Is that the way you want to spend your senior year and summer? Sometimes it's simply wiser to take the victory you already have and go on your way.</p>
<p>AID, first congratulations on your excellent SAT score and your exemplary high school career thus far. Second, congrats on the very generous scholarship you have already won. However, there may be other very reasonable reasons that this student was selected for the Robert Byrd scholarship that are not clear to you know. If your high school knew that you had already won the scholarship you have, they may have wished to "spread the wealth" to other students. This is very common at high schools. Or, perhaps, this student or his parent learned about the scholarship through their own research and actually REQUESTED the nomination. It is NOT uncommon and is quite typical, in some cases, for an individual to seek their own nominations for jobs, promotions, awards etc in graduate school or in the business world.</p>
<p>So, I know that you are disappointed and upset now and can only see that this was unfair. I frankly think that "blowing the whistle" on this will accomplish nothing but bring heartache to you. Next time, search out these scholarships yourself WAY in advance, and make a case to the responsible authority that YOU should get the nomination!</p>
<p>The one thing that I dislike about these typr of situations is that we are only hearing one side of the story and are really not getting an opportunity to manage the facts!</p>
<p>Op wrote;</p>
<p>
[quote]
I recently learned (on CC) about the Robert Byrd award. I am my class's valedictorian and have a 2380 SAT.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Testing for understanding here: Is OP saying that s/he just found out this award existed because of what s/he read on CC?</p>
<p>Is Op stating that they just found out through CC that the winners of the award was posted?</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
. I am my class's valedictorian and have a 2380 SAT. Very good RECs and ECs. I checked with the state board and my school's nomination was given under the table to a (much) lesser student--a teacher's kid!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>According to the Dept of ED, Eigibility for the award are as follows;</p>
<p>An eligible student applicant must, during the same secondary academic year in which the scholarship is to be awarded: </p>
<p>(1) be a graduate of a public or private secondary school or have received the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma (GED); </p>
<p>(2) be a legal resident of the State in which he or she applies; </p>
<p>(3) be a U.S. citizen or national of the United States or have evidence from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service that he or she is a permanent resident or is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose; </p>
<p>(4) has applied or been accepted for enrollment at an institution of higher education; </p>
<p>(5) certify that he or she is not ineligible to receive assistance as a result of default on a Federal student loan or other obligation; and </p>
<p>(6) file, with the school that he or she plans to attend, a Statement of Selective Service Registration Status. A student attending a military academy is ineligible to receive a Byrd scholarship.[34 CFR Part 654, Subpart A, Section 654.2]</p>
<p>Purpose:</p>
<p>The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program is a federally funded, State-administered program to recognize exceptionally able high school seniors who show promise of continued excellence in postsecondary education. [34 CFR Part 654, Subpart A, Section 654.1]</p>
<p>maybe it is me, but no where did I read that the candidate had to be the person with the best grades.</p>
<p>It does not state that the award is based on need?</p>
<p>It does not state what is considered exceptional (there more than 1 way that one can be deemed exceptional). </p>
<p>who is to say that the teacher's child is undeserving since we know nothing about the other student? </p>
<p>Is the teacher's whose son won the award on the nominating committee for either of the awards that the OP feels that s/he unjustly did not receive?</p>
<p>Unless there is a stupulation stating that family and friends of teachers and administrators, the funding organization, etc are ineligible to apply or recieve the award, there was nothing done wrong. (I work for a major corporation that gives out scholarships and while my own child met the criteria to be awarded a scholarship, she is not eligible because I am an employee. I understand it, accept it and keep things moving.)</p>
<p>Does OP know what exactly is the objective criteria for receiving the award/scholarship ? You have every right to ask.</p>
<p>How did s/he rank up against the criteria? </p>
<p>Is there a subjective component to the evaluation?</p>
<p>So if OP wishes, request and launch a full scare investigation and remember when people start go searching for the facts, s/he will not be left out of the search and may not like what is brought to light about them. So let he who be without sin cast the first stone.</p>
<p>One state has this requirement: A 3.0+ gpa. Once all those kids apply, their names are put in a hat and the ones drawn are the winners.
Each state can set up their own criteria.</p>
<p>If you are really interested in how your school chooses who to nominate, I think it is reasonable to ask someone to explain the school's procedure in writing. I wouldn't jump on the news media/law suit bandwagon for something like this. But you can definitely work with your school admin/school board on publicizing their procedures--this stuff should be information available to students and the community, not something the school <em>hides.</em> There is an art, though, to finding these things out, working to change things in a school, esp. if they have a bureaucratic mindset <em>this is the way we have always done it.</em> And it can take time, a lot of time. So you have to decide whether you have the time and patience to pursue something like this. It wouldn't benefit you-- it is too late for you--but it might benefit, make things more fair to future students. Also, if your school is like ours, nothing happens in the summer, everyone leaves, and is unreachable over the summer, so if you want to pursue something like this, you would need to get the ball rolling now, before the end of the school year.</p>