One easy way to reduce academic pressure: Eliminate valedictorian, salutatorian titles

Saratoga High is known for its high-aiming students and equally high levels of stress. To add to the competitive atmosphere, a select group of high-scoring seniors with soaring GPAs each year become contestants in one last competition: the race for valedictorian and salutatorian.

Though these titles are certainly well-earned and admirable honors for two students each year, the practice of naming a valedictorian and salutatorian runs counter to the competitiveness the school has tried to reduce.

Throughout the year, guidance counselors, teachers and outside speakers continuously tell us to take classes that we enjoy — to focus on the learning experience, not just the grades and numbers. These messages appear to be hypocritical hogwash when the school awards its top academic honors based only on GPA.

By having the valedictorian honor, the school endorses the message that students should load their schedules with as many Honors and AP classes as possible. The only way to win the title is to have a GPA well over 4.5. The only way to have a GPA that high is to ace a dozen or so Honors or AP classes during high school.

In addition, the race for top academic honors sometimes leads students to drop regular, sequential classes such as orchestra and journalism as these classes drag down GPAs.

Rather than completely eradicating the tradition of valedictorian and salutatorian, perhaps the school could adopt a more well-rounded set of requirements such as extracurriculars, leadership and service. The school could also consider adding to the number of recognized students, maybe as many as five to seven.

Still, even with these possible alternatives, there remains the obvious question: What’s the point? Is there any real purpose in singling out two or even a handful of top students at the end of their high school careers?

Students have plenty of opportunities for accolades in their final high school year as is. After all, the school dedicates an entire “Senior Awards Night” to honor students and their accomplishments. Why include the additional accolade? Surely parents can survive without yet another bragging point. 

It’s time to push aside ingrained traditions that go against the school’s mission. The valedictorian and salutatorian honors, entirely unnecessary as they are, only add to the rat race that encourages our student body’s seemingly unquenchable AP and Honors thirst.