Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : District Lets Valedictorian Policy Stand

The local debate over high school valedictorians continues, dividing residents into three groups: those who are for honoring the top graduating student at the five area high schools; those who are against it for educational and morale reasons, and those who think the other two groups should get a life and move onto more pressing issues.

Given the divergence of opinion, the William S. Hart Union High School District board unanimously decided to do nothing after an hourlong debate Monday night, thus preserving a policy that lets each school decide for itself.

“Each school does what it feels is best for its students and we should maintain that,” said board member William Dinsenbacher.

Opinions from student, parent and teacher groups were sought by the board following months of attacks from those who wanted a districtwide valedictorian policy. The debate, which received nationwide attention, erupted in June when Saugus High School had its first graduation ceremony without honoring a valedictorian.

Authorities at the school said the competition for the top spot was causing unnecessary stress for students. But some parents, teachers and students contended that dropping the honor would lessen students’ desire to excel.

The presentations to the board revealed that each of the five high schools has a different method of honoring top students. But all agreed on one thing: They don’t want the board telling them how to run the show.

“The general consensus of (our) meeting was that if it wasn’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Linda Lambourne, a member of the Parents’ Advisory Committee at Canyon High School.

A Saugus High survey presented Monday to the board indicated 82% of students, 62% of parents and 88% of faculty who participated were against reinstating the valedictorian position. The school instead honors any student with a 3.75 or higher grade-point average.

Michelle Marasco, editor of the student newspaper, said the student with the highest grades still gets his or her name called first at graduation but is no longer guaranteed the right to make the valedictorian speech.

Representatives from William S. Hart Union High School, which has never honored a valedictorian since opening in the 1950s, said most residents oppose recognizing a valedictorian.

But groups from Canyon High School, the only school in Santa Clarita that now recognizes a valedictorian, offered a different opinion. “We feel that this is an honor,” student Michelle Briones said. “Taking this away from them we believe is going to take away from their self-esteem because we believe it will take away their drive to try harder.”

Valencia High School opened its doors this fall to ninth- and 10th-graders, and representatives there haven’t established a graduation policy yet.

Recognizing the student with the highest grade-point average would be impossible at Bowman High School, a continuation school for students who have had trouble in traditional classrooms, said Principal Richard Artzer. He said the school’s unique curriculum would cause numerous problems, such as trying to calculate cumulative grades earned at Bowman and other schools.

The debate is probably far from being over. Brad Bjelke, whose son--also named Brad--was denied the chance to read his valedictorian speech last year at the Saugus High graduation, said after the meeting that he and others should work to elect board members who favor a districtwide policy.

“We’ve said everything we need to say,” Bjelke said. “Now it’s up to the election process.”