@Olymom, nice to see you back. 
I have strong feelings on this subject in general, because I could have used someone advocating for me, both in HS and in college. And no one did.
Every time I read posts where people deride the “everyone gets a trophy” ethos I remember how pretty much worthless I felt at that age. I remember going to a “track banquet” when S was in 8th grade–ie, a potluck in the gym–at which the coach said something personal and positive about every single kid. NEVER in my years at school did I have a teacher do something like that for me. Never.
Why do people feel so strongly that kids need to learn how to be losers? Why do they feel so strongly that kids need to learn how to fail, to be put down, to accept that they are lesser?
It makes me sick.