<p>Hey, if it draws attention to choices beyond the 4-5 Us instate EVERYONE applies to, it’s a good thing. I had a problem getting our high school to take seriously my son’s interest in a low tier school the high school had not heard of. We knew the school. We are from a different part of the country, and knew they would give him a lot of money. It was the perfect safety. The HS dragged their feet and we almost missed deadlines. I think they were discouraging an arms-race-of-sorts of (unused) scholarship money. In the end son did choose a different school, but the other school was a serious contender - which I still don’t think the high school ever understood.</p>
<p>Our school has an evening academic awards ceremony. I made my kid go to it last year since he refused to go to his graduation. Only kids receiving awards and their parents are invited. This would be about 150 or so kids–more than 1/3 of class.
Kids’ names and awards are listed in a program. Some kids had many big awards–Presidential Scholar, NM Scholar, National AP Scholar, etc. Some had only a college scholarship. Names of colleges or amounts of scholarships are not mentioned–these are only listed as “College Scholarship” in the program–once under each kid’s name, regardless of the number or amount of scholarships.
Kids’ names are announced and they walk across stage to receive an envelope containing any certificates/awards they received from the state or the school. (If they have none, the envelope holds a paper that says “academic scholarship” or whatever.) Nothing is announced but the kid’s name. If you want to know what that kid got, you read it in the program.
The principal made some general remarks about “What a talented class we have” at the beginning. At the end, a couple class members sang a song. That’s it. It was short, painless, but sort of a letdown. I thought it was interesting to look at the program afterwards to see what awards S’s classmates had received.
Our district also does 5th grade and 8th grade graduations. Can’t stand these and not sure who thinks they are a good idea. These consist mostly of a slide show and a bunch of moms getting teary because they recognize that their babies are growing up and they themselves are old. (I have 5th, 8th, and college graduation this year. Bracing myself.)</p>
<p>High School does ask for name of college chosen and total value of scholarships offered/accepted at the end of the year–but doesn’t publish info. District seems to be concerned about privacy. The following year they might have a list of colleges attended by the previous class, but students’ names aren’t included.</p>
<p>i HATE when they list what specific colleges kids are attending. its just tacky. looking at this site, you see so many kids who can’t attend their first choice school due to money, and are frankly irked to say the least. Why rub salt in the wound. I know several kids who asked not to have school attending listed for a variety of reasons, privacy, embarrassment, taking a gap year, etc.</p>
<p>our school just lists schools kids where going to ,but not by student name, just a list to show variety, etc</p>
<p>there were many kids who were going to community colleges for myriad of reasons, but sadly, they were embarrased, which they shouldn’t be, but they were</p>
<p>Our school has around two dozen students win the Teachers Union Scholarship…sons and daughters of teachers, administrators, school board members, school bus drivers, cafeteria staff, nurses, and aides. One lucky student in my son’s class got a full-ride to a top LAC, worth over $200,000. I imagine quite a few parents were speechless when they heard that.</p>
<p>It’s tacky to me to list every possible scholarship/grant for every student. About the only benefit is it should open up parent’s eyes to the endless possibilities out there to help finance their student’s education.</p>
<p>fortuneately soon as ceremony and hs are over no one cares one iota</p>
<p>I had a friend call me a few weeks ago very excited to tell me that her child was selected for her first scholarship. I asked which it was because her child is a Jr. It took a few minutes of random “we are so proud & huge accomplishment” before It was clarified that it is an automatic first generation monetary award. I don’t know from where as they haven’t even applied anywhere yet. I can only assume it is state or regionally affiliated.</p>
<p>
You know, it might be a good idea to send a list of these to parents of sophomores and juniors.</p>
<p>Our high school’s graduation program lists every graduate’s plans after graduation, and every scholarship offered is listed under each grad’s name and destination. Tacky, tacky tacky! It is based on whatever the kid turned in to the guidance office. I feel for those kids who just have their names with no “destination” listed. </p>
<p>I wish one year a really bold class would stand together and refuse to hand in those lists or petition to have the lists removed from the program. </p>
<p>Too much pride and too many opportunities to cause public humiliation reside in those “love me” lists.</p>
<p>Almost didn’t even look at this thread considering what our local HS does. The “awards night” recognizes only the scholarships in which the school chooses the winners. So D’s regional award (several hundred applicants) was ignored while the award for which only 2 students in the class met the requirements for was honored. Upside was that after 4 years of that place, it was one fewer time that I had to be there.</p>
<p>At my kids’ school, they also do the ceremony for which you only get an invitation if your kid is getting an award. The only issue I have with it is that they don’t tell you what award your kid will be getting–and a few of the awards are things that go to like, a hundred kids–things like having a GPA above a certain level. The ceremony is probably not much fun if that’s the only award you get.</p>
<p>Parents living vicariously through their kids. Not a pretty sight.</p>
<p>
In the other long thread on this topic, there were many comments like this. I don’t get it. If you have kids, of course you enjoy their successes, and feel bad about their failures. If your kid hits a home run, you cheer, not sneer. At least, that’s how I feel about it. I’m happy when one of my kids gets an award.</p>
<p>^ what Hunt said.</p>
<p>And, I’m happy when others’ kids get awards.</p>
<p>Our highschool has a senior awards night, invite only if you’re getting something. They recognize the top 20 and they read off their GPA and their future plans. They give out several local scholarships- Kiwanis, Rotary Club, etc. They also have several memorial scholarships for students who passed away shortly after their own graduations. The band gives out scholarships as do athletic teams. Each department (English, Math, etc.) has an outstanding student award they present. It only lasted a little more than an hour. They didn’t list every scholarship each of them had won. They just announced the total scholarship dollars offered to their students. There were some athletic awards for students who were varsity in a sport every season through high school or who went to states every year in their sport. </p>
<p>I don’t understand why people are so put off by that idea. Because every kid doesn’t get a trophy? I was never big on the “every kid gets a trophy” idea anyway. My kids weren’t/aren’t great athletes (although my son will be on the varsity tennis team in the fall). They are good at other things. Great athletes should be recognized for their accomplishments, as should musicians, leaders and scholars.</p>
<p>Put me in the camp of folks who think the “total scholarship award dollars” number is meaningless. In fact, the methodology reminds me of this.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/knighthawk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Page-AZ1.jpg[/url]”>http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/knighthawk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Page-AZ1.jpg</a></p>
![http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/knighthawk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Page-AZ1.jpg[/url]](http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/knighthawk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Page-AZ1.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>I’m thrilled for any kid who gets an award or scholarship. I don’t mind the awards assemblies at all. That isn’t the same thing as publishing a list of every graduate with every offered scholarship (including to the schools they are not attending) followed by their plans after they graduate. And then inserting that publication into the graduation ceremony program. I was honestly sort of shocked the first time I attended a graduation here and found that insert. </p>
<p>I feel awful for the kid who had a physical or mental health issue his senior year, or a problem of some kind, and who is lucky to be barely graduating. It is either a school or a branch of the military or nothing that is listed after each name. No “gap year”, no " off to discover the world", no “working at McDonalds for a few years”, no “six more months of chemo”. Those kids have blank spaces after their names. Its as if they don’t count if they aren’t moving on to further their education or to a branch of the service.</p>
<p>(My examples of what the “blank” kids are doing after graduation are slightly tongue in cheek. I know nobody is going to write the truth if they are “off to rehab” or “working on my appeal for that bogus underage drinking citation”. But still, why do we all need to be handed a “look how wonderful I am” list at the graduation ceremony? )</p>
<p>This is not sour grapes. Myown kids were just fine.</p>
<p>Personally I don’t agree with eastcoascrazy. It is called “graduation” and “commencement” for a reason. I actually like to celebrate with the class what their awards have been and what their future holds. I think by the end of senior year everyone has come to the conclusion of “to each his own” and deal with this list in a different way than if the sophomore or junior’s or their parents look at it. It is amazing how reality hits most people in their kids senior year. </p>
<p>I may feel this way because my kids go to private schools but I have friends who have kids at the very large public school in my area that agree with me.</p>
<p>I enjoy seeing kids getting recognized for their accomplishments. What I have a problem with is when a child who actually IS one of the top is snubbed year after year after year…yes, it happened to mine, but also to several others. I would just like less politics involved. </p>
<p>2016 Barnard - It is nice that in your HS the top 20 are recognized. D was in the top five and for that she got to have her name called out at graduation and that’s it. She at least got a certificate for freshman cheerleading!</p>
<p>eastcoastcrazy - The child I clapped for the loudest at graduation (other than mine) was one who had a difficult family/personal situation and was “on the bubble” as far as graduation. I was thrilled to see that he made it.</p>
<p>In our district, students are given awards for being the best at music, math, Spanish, baseball, etc. The decision is voted on, I assume, by a team of teachers. Often the decisions are clear-cut, but other times, it painfully excludes hard-working and less outspoken students. Sometimes it even overlooks the most advanced students. If a student accelerates or has completed a particular area of study (e.g., completed all Spanish classes by 11th grade), he or she will be ignored in favor of a student who is less accomplished, but is still taking the class in 12th grade.</p>