High
Schools Make Room at Top for Grads
Some Tap Multiple Valedictorians to Cut Rivalry, Spread Honors
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 17, 2006; A01
All those late-night study sessions finally paid off. Christina Azimi
graduated as valedictorian of Fairfax's Robinson Secondary School.
So did Travis Halbert, Azimi's friend since elementary school. And
Jonathan Cross, who was in her English class. In fact, when Robinson
Principal Dan Meier praised the school's top academic talent at
commencement Thursday afternoon, nearly two full rows of graduates
stood to be recognized as valedictorians.
"At this time, I would like to award all 41 students who have achieved
that honor," Meier said as the crowd cheered. "I tell these guys,"
Meier joked, "the only thing I have in common with them is I rarely
received a B in high school myself."
As high school graduates across the region accept their diplomas this
month, one tradition has changed greatly. The title of valedictorian --
the coveted top slot for the brainiest student -- is no longer
necessarily reserved for the single best student.
A growing number of schools, such as Robinson, bestow the title on
every graduate who earns a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher.
Montgomery and Howard county schools have done away with the
distinction to ease competition in a system that was producing
increasingly more 4.0 students. Other districts -- Prince George's and
Loudoun counties, Alexandria and the District included -- have stuck
with the traditional route: Pick one valedictorian and a salutatorian.
(Unless a tie forces a few students to share the glory.)
The push for multiple valedictorians began years ago, prompted by
concerns that high school had become too competitive -- so competitive
that a few students seeking the title filed lawsuits. As more students
enrolled in weighted advanced classes and earned grade-point averages
far above 4.0, educators wondered whether it was fair to single out one
teenager. There was concern a student would take a less challenging
class to guarantee an A or take on an unreasonable workload of weighted
classes to boost a GPA.
Meier said that in a school as big as Robinson Secondary, which had 687
graduates this year, it would be a shame to single out only one
high-achieving student.
"The competition is very, very steep to be shortstop or to be the lead
in the class play," Meier said. "But when you have 30 or 40 people who
have a GPA over 4.0, this is a way to recognize all of them."
Cross, a Robinson graduate with a 4.15 GPA, is happy to share the honor
with his friends. He said that as the school year wound down, students
bantered little about class rank.
"We didn't have to beat each other for that one title," he said. "While
it was competitive, it's cooperative. I didn't feel it was that
cutthroat."
But Robyn Burgess, a co-valedictorian at Oxon Hill High School in
Prince George's, does not buy the argument that everyone can be a
winner. She is not thrilled that a virtual tie in GPA made her share
the honor.
"My whole aim is to be on top," Burgess said. "If I was one of a few,
it's not as special."
Burgess, who is headed to Columbia University in the fall, remembers
sitting down with a friend in ninth grade and telling him that she
intended to become valedictorian. From that day on, she worked toward
that goal.
For instance, there was the time Burgess needed a 95 percent or better
on a world history paper to get an A in the class. She wanted that A.
So she hunkered down and turned in a 26-page paper instead of the
required 12-page paper and "made sure the content was immaculate."
During her graduation speech, Burgess told her classmates that they
should be focused, too. "I talked about how you have to really know
what you want and set your goals," she said. "The theme was nothing
happens until you decide."
Oxon Hill Principal Gordon Libby agrees with his top student. Libby
wasn't his school's valedictorian, but his friend, whom he fondly
remembers as "the nerdy guy who hit the books," was.
"We have a society where you're going to be competitive your whole
life," he said. "When you apply for a job they aren't going to say,
'Everybody did good, come on in.' Somebody wins, and somebody loses."
Even when high school is a distant memory, the title of valedictorian
is often invoked as a sign of accomplishment. When President Bush
nominated Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court, he noted that
Alito was the valedictorian of New Jersey's Hamilton High School
East-Steinert High School. The Web site of Sen. Robert C. Byrd
(D-W.Va.) says he was valedictorian of a class of 28 students in the
1930s at Mark Twain High School in Stotesbury, W.Va.
But it is clear that there is no consensus among educators, or
students, on defining valedictorians. In Fairfax County, the decision
is made school by school. Edison High School has one valedictorian. But
Principal Gregory Croghan said it has gotten so close -- with GPAs
separated by only the tiniest fractions -- that he has decided to
recommend a policy change to make everyone with a 4.0 or higher an
"honor graduate."
"I say if you're running a race, then certainly there's competition,"
Croghan said. "But we never set up our educational process that way. We
don't say, 'Your goal is to get a higher GPA.' Your goal is to learn as
much as you can."
Asad Mahmood, 17, who graduated this year from Woodrow Wilson High
School in the District, said he has envisioned himself as sole class
valedictorian since the 10th grade. His work paid off.
"There is only one person for the job, and everybody tried to get
there," Mahmood said. "I worked for it. If there were a lot of people,
there wouldn't be that much competition or that much excitement."