<p>So we recently went to the Senior Awards ceremony. During the ceremony each kid went up on stage and they announced their awards as well as scholarships received. It was odd because the way it played out many of the kids who were perhaps not as stellar in rank/academics were the highlight of the ceremony. They didn't announce which colleges the kids were attending, but they did announce the scholarships school affiliation. Having done the research most of us understand which schools offer more free money for an A or B student and which don't. Also what is takes to be considered a merit worthy student at individual schools. My child chose not to list scholarship offers from schools that he wasn't attending, however some listed 7 or 8 from lower ranking schools across the country. It was very odd scenario that admittedly brought out my immature side. I couldn't help but think well crap if my kid had applied to Merv's College of Bells & Whistles they would have given him 5 scholarships too. Petty I know but very difficult not to do when you spend 3 hours trapped in an auditorium while your butt goes numb hearing about every dollar offered to over 200 kids and listening to the audience point out just how superior these kids must be to the others. Knowing that at the same time that your child and a few others are having their acceptance to a selective schools, an achievement in itself, go unnoticed. I am completely aware that my attitude was petty and immature. I said none of this aloud and cheered each of these kids with enthusiasm and congratulated parents around me. However, it was a pretty eye opening moment about myself. It brought me to grips with just how invested I am in this college selection roller coaster. Anyone else have a similar experience? Or am I like a closet version of the crazy cheerleader mom they did that Lifetime movie about :)</p>
<p>A three hour ceremony? You are more than likely suffering from PHSBSS. Post High School BS Syndrome. This too shall pass.</p>
<p>Three hours trapped in a gym is enough to make anyone a little annoyed.<br>
What is the point of the event? Is it to announce where everyone is going to college? I can’t understand why everyone has to sit through the scholarship details…that is just not that important to the whole audience.</p>
<p>Okay in fairness we had to show an hour early so really it was more like 2 actually program hours. Each grad received any awards he/she earned as well and honors cords.</p>
<p>Sounds similar to our HS. All graduating seniors are encouraged to tell the GC all the scholarship offers they’ve received. Then the school adds them up for a total to make everyone feel good. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>glent95 – Some schools like to list every single scholarship that any graduate was offered, for this reason: That information is used as a point of pride and sometimes justification to legislators or members of the public for spending on schools. An announcement that “Graduates of public schools in X County (or specifically Graduates of Y High School) were offered $X amount of scholarship money” can be included in a “See how well our graduates are doing?” public relations spiel.</p>
<p>A guidance counselor at our high school told me that the more scholarships they can list, the better it makes the school look compared to other schools. So, our school wants students to list EVERYTHING they were offered. Yes, it’s kind of silly, but if it’s only once a year, well okay …</p>
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<p>I can especially relate to the “3 hours trapped in an auditorium while your butt goes numb” statement. It sounds like you handled this situation very gracefully, and you made me laugh!</p>
<p>And yes, if they announce all the offered scholarships, they should also announce which school each student is actually planning to attend.</p>
<p>What happens to those who received no scholarships?? Do they just sit there? Or are only those who won awards and scholarships invited, like at our competitive high school? (Except at ours, those who won scholarships awarded by the colleges themselves aren’t included – only those receiving outside scholarships.)</p>
<p>My3D, ours is like that…a student only goes if he/she turns in a form listing one or more scholarship. Also, the top x% are honored.</p>
<p>Oh gosh that’s barbaric! What do kids going into the service, or taking a gap year, or whatever, do/feel? Yikes… Seniors in the music program are recognized by name and stand at the concerts, but no mention of their plans. </p>
<p>Our public school has nothing like this. There’s a senior awards ceremony to hand out the many scholarships the district has, but you have to 1. apply for them and 2. be the left-handed softball player from 4th street so everyone takes it pretty casually. </p>
<p>Awards - blech. It’s a pretty high-emotion time to be making kids feel like they’ve fallen short when they should be celebrating whatever successes have come to them. For every award, there’s someone who was thisclose and why should they feel lousy? Said as a parent of sons who were never thisclose, btw :)</p>
<p>Our HS has an awards ceremony in similar fashion
AND in the glossy brochures they always talk about the $$$ the grads are offered to go to college. Its all baloney and meant to help market the hs…
Our '11 student got into the U early and applied to only one other as a backup. So there wasn’t a big list of schollys next to the name either.</p>
<p>Recently they had a “signing” ceremony for a student going to HYP. The kid is no where near the caliber of athlete for those on the roster yet the hs made a big deal that the student was pursuing their academic and athletic career at the college. Read- may “walk on”…</p>
<p>I too needed to have my grown-up card revoked when I heard about it because it gives hopeful kids and parents the wrong impression.</p>
<p>My kids go to a very “blah” (mediocre) public school. The school is so in to the defensive that any time a student gets ANY scholarship (even a few $$) they make it into mega news. The reason is to prove to the community that the school is doing well. In my town is a “self congratulatory” thing coming from the superintendent (who he is a “master” in twisting under performance to meaningful achievement)</p>
<p>OP, you owe it to yourself to read this classic thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/935202-senior-awards-rants.html?highlight=awards[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/935202-senior-awards-rants.html?highlight=awards</a></p>
<p>At a long enough awards ceremony, you start to question your place in the universe.</p>
<p>The ceremony, which was invitation only, went like this… Bob Smith is a DG, Summa Grad and had a spirit award, he has scholarships to X,Y, Z, P, D. Bob stands facing waving to the crowd to cheers. He leaves the stage and next comes Molly Smith. Molly is DG and Summa. Quick golf clap exit stage right. My younger child said during the last section mere (I say sarcastically) Cum Laude grads. “well at least these kids are getting off stage super quick!”</p>
<p>On another comical note, some of these scholarships have really long names. “The Joe Schmo McGillicuddy Francisco school of Arts, Literature and Science endowed by Nice Guy University”. They really need to shorten these into acronyms :)</p>
<p>You should have had your kid fill out all those free applications from lower-tier schools. He could have had MILLIONS in scholarship offers!</p>
<p>I feel sorry for schools sometimes. One thread talks about only athletes, not academics, get recognition. And then when kids are recognized for their academic achievement, people aren’t happy about the way that’s done either.</p>
<p>That old thread reminds me how much I miss northstarmom.</p>
<p>In an ironic twist he did turn in the one scholarship that he is actually accepting and they omitted it from the program. He said after, “Mom if you had made me stand up there for ten minutes listing off the financials of every school I applied to I would have been mortified.”. Also, this mention athletic awards as well!</p>
<p>Well, this thing of adding up all the scholarship offers from schools the kid won’t be attending is goofy.</p>
<p>I think I am now happier our HS doesn’t do any of this. There is an “Honors Reception” to which 50% of the student body is invited (3.5 or above GPA), and honestly the top kids avoid going to this if they can. No one is recognized, no awards given out.</p>
<p>The science and math teams are required to go and set up presentations. NHS also is required to have a booth. DD is required to go because she is an officer/leader in all of these, but it is a really lame event. </p>
<p>Those needing public validation of their “superiority” seem to be the ones attending. The one’s who actually excel (and received large merit scholarships/top admits) try very hard to get out of going.</p>
<p>At least it is only 90 minutes!</p>
<p>First child, lesson learned. I really went into this thinking each kid was going to get their awards, and mention the scholarship applicable to the college they selected. At this rate, by the time my last kid graduates I will have a list of all scholarship everywhere memorized.</p>