© Mason schools/WXIX
The change comes after a year-long study and focus groups with students, staff, and families.
The change comes after a year-long study and focus groups with students, staff, and families.
After a year-long study and focus groups with students, staff, and families, MHS officials made the announcement as part of an effort to improve students' mental wellness.
"We are moving to a recognition system eliminating valedictorian and salutatorian honors, and shifting to recognizing students who have achieved outstanding academic success through a multitude of pathways. The recognition system will reward our students for genuine academic success based on their academic accomplishments. This will help reduce the overall competitive culture at MHS to allow students to focus on exploring learning opportunities that are of interest to them," said Mason High School Principal Bobby Dodd.
Students graduating in the class of 2020 and beyond will continue to be recognized for their academic performance using the Latin honors system. Mason High School students with a GPA of 4.00 and above will be designated summa cum laude. MHS Students with a GPA between 3.75 and 3.99 will be designated magna cum laude. MHS students with a GPA between 3.51 to 3.74 will be designated cum laude.
Comment: Pandering to students by attempting to 'reduce the culture of competitiveness' may make their high school experience less stressful but fails to prepare them for the real world where they will be tested at every opportunity to prove their competence.