<p>It's very upsetting not to be recognized as the valedictorian if you deserve it. At my middle school graduation (I know, not even high school), another girl was named 1st, although I had a 4.5 gpa out of 4.5, and she had less than 4.4. I was really iffed about this, and none of the guidance counselors or the principal could tell me what had happened. Each claimed that they had no idea about the process of claiming a student 1st in rank although I had seen a paper copy of the class ranking in the guidance office a month before. Although this made me incredibly frustrated, I decided not to do anything about it. I continued to do much better than this girl throughout high school, but I didn't forget this incident. The resentment is just about fading away, four years later. I knew that at some point, something that happened in middle school would no longer be important. Those kids who sued over high school valedictory probably know this, too. In college, it really won't matter... as an adult, it will matter less. But I know from personal experience that until it stops mattering, it's a really unpleasant thing to go through.</p>