Achieving the Highest Academic Performance
A valedictorian is a student who has achieved the greatest level of academic performance. Academic performance is evaluated by the Grade Point Average (GPA) or the number of credits earned each topic. When two or more students have the highest GPA, credits are examined to choose the valedictorian. This person is replaced by the student with the greatest grade point average. During the graduation ceremony, the valedictorian is known to deliver a speech (Talbot 26).
The Debate on Valedictorians in High Schools
Many colleges have studied the topic of valedictorians and deemed it outmoded, while some schools continue to retain the practice. This study considers whether high school valedictorians should exist. It is important to appreciate the top performers by giving them a title that makes them feel honored. Naming those students valedictorians makes them feel celebrated for their good job. Many students in high school admire the position of valedictorians. This title makes most of them work towards it. The positive aspect of having valedictorians is that it increases the academic competition between the students. This type of academic challenge is healthy and should be encouraged (Attewell 270). Every student will be working their best to be a valedictorian. Parents are also happy when their children emerge the best in academics. The fact remains that high schools students strive to be valedictorians.
The Negative Impact of Valedictorians
On the other hand, valedictorians should be avoided in high schools because it brings an unhealthy rivalry among the learners. High-school students are obsessed with the position, and they can do anything to get the title. This morbid competition can make students cheat on exams. Cheating is the breaking of the basic ethic laws which must be discouraged. Those who cheat will be crowned the valedictorians, and those who uphold integrity in an exam will still be stuck at the bottom. The issue that drives the students to cheat in exams is to be crowned the best. Therefore, valedictorian should not be integrated in high schools because it leads to the unethical behaviors such as cheating among the students (Talbot 31).
Impact on College Admissions
Many high schools determine the valedictorians using the GPA and the class rank criteria. It is discouraged because it makes the students rely on books alone, which will affect their college admissions in the future. When the students rely only on books and avoid co-curricular activities, they will seem less competitive in the college admissions. From high school, the students will join colleges to enhance their academic skills. During college applications, the learners with average GPA and can do an extra-curricular course are most favorable compared to valedictorians who depend on books alone.
Conclusion
The greatest challenge that the valedictorians face in high school is being envied by other students. This is an issue faced by top performers in almost all aspects. Be it academic, social, political or any other field. Both top performers and valedictorians are hated by their colleagues.
Unanswered Questions and Future Research
Many questions remain unanswered in the argument about having valedictorians in high schools. Is being a valedictorian advantageous or disadvantageous? This question still remains rhetoric to most learners. Is there another way the top performers can be rewarded without having valedictorians? Therefore, more research needs to be done to determine the most appropriate way of dealing with the valedictorian issue.
Development Strategy and Rhetorical Devices
The pattern of development used in this paper is argument and persuasion. This is the strategy that is used to develop ideas for this work. The argument in this paper is to analyze whether valedictorians should be there in high school. The rhetorical device mainly used in this paper is allusion. That is, the paper refers to an event described by Talbot in an article Best in Class. Rhetorical questions are also the rhetoric devices used in writing this paper.
Works Cited
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Talbot, Margaret. "Best in Class." New Yorker, vol. 6, 2005, pp. 38-43.
York, E. Anne. "Gender Differences in the College and Career Aspirations of High School Valedictorians." Journal of Advanced Academics, vol. 19, no. 4, 2008, pp. 578-600.
