<p>I am trying to find out what schools generally do to recognize NMF. Our school did nothing on honors night or graduation (or at any other time) to recognize these three students, although they have made a big deal about this in the past with other students. They never even gave them their certificates. I am wondering how unusual this is (in a very academically oriented school). Multiple other awards were noted from science bowl to National Latin awards to service academy scholarships. One of the other mothers actually wrote the principal a note requesting this recognition, so I find it hard to believe that this would be an accidental oversight. I am concerned that this may have been done in a discriminatory manner based on the beliefs of the students. Thanks for any information about "standard protocol" for acknowledging such awards</p>
<p>What do you mean by belief of the students?</p>
<p>At our academic magnet, there is an awards night in May where the top 10% of each class is honored. Most of the other recognitions are for seniors, such as NMF, etc, plus large community scholarships and academy appts. A few awards include underclassmen, such as for the national language exams.</p>
<p>Beliefs of the students? What beliefs?</p>
<p>Our district recognizes the students several times. On high school honor night they are called up to the stage and fussed over. At an informal daytime awards ceremony at the high school they are recognized. Names are announced one day to the entire school with morning announcements. Names are listed in school newspaper. The district has a special evening ceremony for the NMFs from all four high schools, which we missed because of other commitments, but sounded very nice. Local newspaper publishes names and also publishes NMF scholarships of various types as they are announced by NMSC. Nothing at graduation, that I remember anyway. They had various tassels and medals for GPA sort of stuff. Could there have been an NMF pin? Have to check with D.</p>
<p>But I’m sure the recognition varies a lot. Two of our high schools each get 20 odd NMFs every year. I guess at schools that only get a couple NMFs and maybe not even every year, that procedures would be different.</p>
<p>NMF winners are listed in the monthly school newsletter. I don’t think they were specifically honored at the honors ceremony unless the winners were part of the top 25 in the class - those guys get a rundown of all their accomplishments. I know for a fact that my youngest who was merely commended got nothing but the newsletter announcement.</p>
<p>OP - I wonder why the school made a big deal in the past and chose to ignore the NMF’s this year? That seems wrong to me and I would ask about the oversight/inconsistency.</p>
<p>If they didn’t get their certificates it sounds like the GC missed it entirely. Probably still sitting in a pile on the desk.</p>
<p>Sorry they didn’t get recognized this past year. That doesn’t seem right. </p>
<p>At our school they are recognized on the football field at homecoming and invited to a school board meeting. Recently their names have been list don the school website. I think those first two announcements are kind of weird and would rather they be celebrated at an awards assembly. </p>
<p>The NMF winners are recognized at senior night at our school, but we rarely have more than one or two. I was feeling really bummed about how inadequate our school must be until I talked to my daughter. I guess last year we had about a dozen semi-finalists…but because it has traditionally been an “ACT school,” few take the required SAT for confirmation of the scores and the guidance counselors really do not place much emphasis on it. </p>
<p>Our S was the only NMF in the school district this year. He was recognized for lots of stuff, but the school did nothing for NMF. In fact, when all the awards ceremonies were over and he hadn’t been presented with his NMF certificate, I called his school. His GC couldn’t find it. They had to contact NM for another one. </p>
<p>At our school they have a group photo in the school newsletter, are announced at the senior award ceremony and have their names engraved on a plaque on the wall in the main lobby. Our high school has 20ish NMF a year. In 2012 there was a also a lot of media coverage because they broke the school record and had 27 NMSF. Average class size is around 650 so that’s a good number for a non-magnet public school.</p>
<p>There’s an NMF certificate?!? That’s news to me!</p>
<p>IIRC, at the local HS NMFs and Presidential Scholar finalists and so forth are mentioned at the Class Day/Senior Night ceremony for seniors and their parents before graduation. And there are little items in the local free weekly announcing them, just as the honor rolls and so forth are printed there.</p>
<p>I might be wrong, it might be at graduation. I’ve forgotten.</p>
<p>Our school recognized the kids who were commended and NMSF at assembly in September/October, then invited their families for coffee in the headmaster’s office. The news was announced in the online newsletter and sent to the hometown papers of the students who signed a consent form. At graduation, the NMFs got a special symbol (asterisk or plus sign or something like that) beside their names in the program.</p>
<p>Some schools hold the certificate until graduation ceremony to give up. My D’s school had a special lunch with all NMSF, and again when they became NMF that all counselors and the principal were there too. The certificates were distributed at the lunch where no other students attend. Their names are published on local newspaper, school district and school newsletters though. That is something to celebrate but not really a big deal, at least, at my D’s school.</p>
<p>Our school actually starts by recognizing all the kids at the junior honors night that made the commended cut off. Then at seniors honor night they recognize the kids again and tell us know which ones ended up being NMF’s and NAF’s. </p>
<p>There were two National Merit Finalists at my school this year. They made a big deal out of it because they never had any before. When we were National Merit Semifinalists they put our names on the changeable sign outside the building for a month or so. They announced us at the award ceremony and again at graduation. I don’t remember getting the certificate.</p>
<p>Op,
I do think it’s odd that the amount of recognition for NMF changed from last year to this year for your school. And that does not seem right.</p>
<p>Our school is elite private. 50% of class get commended and 20% of the class get NMF.
The commended kids (and NMFs) get their name on a slide that is embedded on a list with all of the other commended kids, and flashed on a screen during honors assembly for about 1 minute with a comment that “these are our commended students.” The font is extremely small to get them all to fit on 1 powerpoint slide; you cannot even read it from the audience.</p>
<p>The NMF get a brown bag luncheon with the principal, whereby the emails are sent to the students privately 1 day prior. If the student doesn’t check their email, then they miss the luncheon. I do not think that the NMFs are printed in any honors or graduation program. NMF recognition is very low key at our school. I can’t remember if there are any certificates.</p>
<p>I have heard some small town even put the names of NMF (of course not many) on a billboard by the highway Like “Congratulate so and so…”. It becomes much less a deal in places that have dozens of them per school every year.</p>
<p>
I’d expect it to vary quite a bit by school. My HS was a typical public HS, without the kind of academic achievement or test scores that are common in the most highly rated HSs and the ones with the largest numbers of selective college applications/admissions. This may relate to the apparent lesser degree of emphasis on NMF recognition or standardized test preparation in general.</p>
<p>Only two were NMFs in my class, and fewer were NMFs in the class before and after mine, so being a NMF was fairly uncommon at the HS I attended. However, there were no billboards, nothing related to NMFs was mentioned in the senior awards event where they gave awards for things like perfect attendance, no newspaper articles to my knowledge, and in general little recognition (or it least little that was known to me and likely most members of the HS class). There appeared to be more recognition for being a member of the national honor society than for being a NMF. </p>
<p>When D was a senior 7 yrs ago, she and another girl were more than finalists, they each received an actual NM scholarship. School did nothing–we were in shock. Called them down from homeroom to pick up their certificates. In other surrounding towns, just being commended gets you a group photo in the paper. School’s priorities are out of whack, though–awards night was commandeered by the athletic director who decided an impromptu pep rally was a good idea when called up to give his award. Idiot.</p>
<p>If it hasn’t been too long call your local newspaper. Or write your own press release.</p>