If I were a future employer doing a Google search on the son, I’d run far away after seeing this story!
As a mom of 2 top students, I have to say that watching them address their classmates at graduation was priceless. Our local school spent a lot of time, effort, and money to recognize the top athletes with barely a nod to the scholarly kids’ activities, and so the recognition was long awaited. That said, there were probably 20 or so students that worked just as hard, and didn’t have the privilege. Perhaps that was this student’s goal, and he was probably very disappointed in the end. I see the parent’s intention in the message. I also see that the billboard comes off as over-the-top braggadocio.
Still, as parents, we all do what we think is best for our kids. I have to admit that I sometimes help my young adults with their boo-boos. LOL!! Some would cringe at the way I baby them. But before you know it, they will have lives and families of their own, and I will only dance around the perimeter of their new universe, and only if I am lucky.
So, I will applaud their efforts, and celebrate their accomplishments (but I will definitely forgo the billboard), and I will try really hard not to judge others that are doing the same in their own way.
Ms. Burke failed to tell about changing the rules midyear. Did the school screw up? Absolutely. Was the father gesture over the top. Absolutely. But if the school did what they said they do the father over the top move would of never happened.
Have to agree with #41. Our school posted on their website National signing day of 24 athletes with over 100 pictures of them and their families. Many going to junior colleges. Nothing was posted about 28 senior scholar students at our school. My daughter is still a sophomore so I really didn’t have a motive… Emailed the superintendent of the high school district asking why nothing for the scholars. The principal of the school apologized and make sure the scholars had their picture on the website.
^Who’s Ms. Burke?
My reaction to this is, “Dang! Forgot to arrange for the billboard!”
:). Kidding, but I don’t actually object to what the Dad did.
We don’t go in for public displays of anything, much. But it is okay with me if other people do.
At my university, we have twelve to eighteen-foot high pictures of the athletes up on campus, and giant screen displays to introduce the football team individually (in the stadium, at games) that border on the ridiculous. No pictures of scholars–perhaps a few names on a few plaques.
If I were ever going to post “Whatever,” this would probably be the spot.
My DD graduated as valedictorian and a family friend of ours hosted a small party with a few of DD’s close friends invited. On the other hand, another family threw a big party of 200+ for their son ranking in the the low 25 percentile. They are all happy.
Our school did do an athletic signing day and anyone who was going to continue to play a sport at their next college was welcomed to participate, set up a table with their own treats (yes, parents paid for them). At the actual ceremony, each kid could talk for 3 minutes and yes, it was timed.
For the senior awards ceremony, the school invited any senior who had received and reported receiving a scholarship EXCEPT no athletic scholarships. It was the.most.boring.thing.EVER. One of my kids reported her scholarship but they only gave her credit for one, not for the merit scholarship. Other kid didn’t report hers so she wasn’t even invited. Some kids got scholarships for drawing a poster, for making a video (it was awful), for music or art. There were a lot of military awards (ROTC, Navy), there were academic awards to Alabama and Mississippi schools. There were the top 20 in the class, there were NHS awards. Did I mention it was awful? It was. And there were no treats.