recognize academic success
December 12, 2006
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
In today's paper and on the tv news, there are stories about Needham no longer publishing honor roll as it can cause emotional stress for some students.
Will Needham ban the use of athletes names also for the press? If we believe that publishing the names of students who do well in their education will cause stress, then what of sports? I fully expect the Needham school system to stop listing any names of individuals from any athletic contests. If the Needham School Committee does not do something to curb the use of names in sports, then they will truly show their priorities -- and it is not education.
OK... enough of my frustration here with being too correct, and not wanting to hurt the feelings of little Jimmy or Sue. I believe we are here for education, and with that there are successes and failures -- just like in real life.
So, does anyone care to defend the position that honor roll should not be published? (Funny, on the national SBOT list, there was a discussion 7-14 days ago about ways of publicizing academic excellence!)
This is the story from today's Boston Herald >>
Needham is tossing out tradition and will no longer publish the high school honor roll in the local newspaper, partly because of academic high anxiety.
The move comes as the town copes with a string of tragedies in the past two years, including four student suicides and a car crash that killed two senior boys last month.
Needham High Principal Paul Richards said the idea of keeping the honor roll private was pitched by a concerned parent and spread quickly in a school community already looking to ease tension around the town.
“Stress is a big issue,” Richards said. “When you make the honor roll public, there’s a set of values that go behind it.”
Richards said the high school will now give students personal letters of congratulations instead of publishing their names in the Needham Times.
Needham parents and students yesterday were split on the secret honor-roll edict.
“I can really see it both ways,” said Patti Augustine, whose daughter, a junior, has been on the honor roll. “But I support it. If you have a child that’s working hard and does not make the honor roll, I don’t think it needs to be broadcast across town.”
“I think it’s bad,” said a parent who didn’t want to be identified, but whose son is often on the honor roll. “They try hard and they deserve that recognition. My son can care less about it, but I care.”
“It doesn’t bother me (that it’s published),” said Mark Conroy, a senior. “I was glad to see it in the paper the one time I made it.”
“It’s a good thing,” added Matt Lane , a senior. “It doesn’t single people out.”
Richards told the Times that the idea was initially proposed by a parent, and went before the School Committee last spring. The decision was handed down this month.
“We’re examining a lot of different things, such as homework and academic pressure. Honor roll was a small part of that,” he said.
Greg Reibman, editor in chief of the Times, said he respects the high school’s decision.
“We understand that the school is trying hard to deal with some enormous challenges. I don’t think anyone believes this alone is going to solve some of these very tough issues, but we respect the decision of the experts who certainly have the students’ best interests in mind,” Reibman said.
Richards said he understands the strong reaction to the new protocol.
“It’s a tradition,” he said. “It’s something that has always been. Every time you mess with tradition, people get upset.”
