Ours is also based on weighted GPA. Val and Sal are determined based on cumulative GPA as of end of second quarter senior year. They also recognize highest GPA for each subject area and those students get a medal.
Our kids’ high school has auditions for kids who would like to speak at graduation. They also have auditions for some singing and music performances. It is a diverse school, so this gives chances across the board. There is a separate senior honors ceremony for academic awards, recognition of class rank, etc.
It’s so interesting hearing all the different ways the schools handle it. I must add that our school also picks “the voice of the senior class” based on an essay contest and the class president always speaks so it’s not that other kids outside of the top 2 are given opportunities. We also have a senior awards ceremony where each area of study is recognized as well similar to @momma2018.
@MomOutWest - I called and asked DU and they told me today at 7p EST. We looked. D18 got admitted with a Chancellors scholarship of $23k tuition per year plus $3k for on campus housing per year. It’s not currently her first choice but it is somewhere she could be happy going!
Large public high school, this year ~750 graduating seniors. One val, one sal, based entirely on GPA. There are also Latin designation awards (summa, magna, and cum laude) that are based on class rank buckets. I want to say summa is top 5%, magna top 10%, and cum laude top 15% but am not positive about the cutoffs. There is an invite-only honor graduate ceremony about a week before graduation to recognize the top students and they are given cords to wear at graduation. Graduation is outdoors in Texas in June, so I sure hope there are no extra speakers! It will take forever just to get all 750 students across the stage…I don’t want to spend a single extra minute sitting in the heat listening to anyone speak! I say give the principal five minutes to congratulate the students and then get those kids their diplomas. :))
HUGE congratulations @Clementine7624 ! That’s a wonderful scholarship 
Congrats @Clementine7624! Our friend’s son is at DU and LOVES it!
Pretty much the same as traveler98 for out Val /Sal & Latin Honors.
@daffodilpetunia I just saw your reply to @ShrimpBurrito, but before I did, I was going to ask if it was Lawrence U. My D15 had a lot of fun with their 47-word supplemental essay and got complimented on it in her admission packet.
Yes, yay @Clementine7624 - my D earned the same ($23k +$3k) at DU, and we’re delighted around here, but she’s still waiting to hear from some others in the running (namely Friday’s big ED).
@1518mom How is your D15 liking Lawrence? My S also enjoyed their 47 word essay.
So refreshing to see SO MUCH great news on here. Still thinking of all the kids who are getting big results this week. Lots of Hugs going out all around!!!
@1518mom My D is excited about Lawrence and may well end up there. The process so far has been really personal. She’s applying to another EA school at the same time that she’s less excited about in the first place, and has also not been in contact at all, besides a thanks for the application. There’s a big contrast.
We were there for auditions a few weeks after D’s (California) interview, and we ran into her interviewer, who recognized my D and encouraged her in her audition. It was really nice.
The like button isn’t working for me, don’t know if anyone else is having the same problem. I just wanted to say Congratulations on all the big news today. This is going to be a busy week!
@Kayak24 there was worry about funding from the state. Students and parents wrote to their senators and state representatives and they approved the funding.
Pitt was originally private and became public and state related some years ago, like PSU and Temple. In exchange for that the state promised some appropriations to cover a tuition discount for instate students.
Agreed, keep a positive attitude. One acceptance warms the soul and defends against the abject disappointment of “rejection.” Remember, it’s not rejection but just not what they’re looking for this year is all. Congrats to everyone!!
@chippedtoof LU came in second. She chose Beloit and is very happy there.
DS got his first acceptance tonight to an in-state safety school, UMASS Lowell(Honors). Not likely to attend, but he feels so great getting one under his belt! Congrats to others who are getting good news on scholarship and admittance front.
Another Chancellor’s scholarship notification at DU here - congrats to the others who got news today as well!
Our school grants val status to all unweighted 4.0s, regardless of the courses, and sal status to all students who have gotten one B (again unweighted). Class rank is based on weighted grades, but I don’t think it is recognized by the school in any way other than on the transcript. I’m not sure how speaker/s is/are chosen.
Big congrats to @kayak24, @Clementine7624 , @MomOutWest , @VikkiG5 @pickledginger & anybody else I may have missed! Awesome news on acceptances and scholarships!! <:-P <:-P <:-P I think it’s going to be hard for me to keep up this week with so much news coming in!
I’m a little wistful to hear the DU acceptances rolling in, it was on D’s early list, and I think it could be a great fit for her, but when she visited, though she liked the school, she decided she did not like Denver (the city) and that was the end of that :-/
On the val/sal topic, I believe it is based straight off of the weighted GPA. There are about 240 kids in her class, I think there was a tie last year, but I think it’s not too common. D isn’t in the running, she wouldn’t want to be first, she likes the anonymity of further down the list.
Like most of you we are anticipating news this week, from 2 schools, and they are 2 that currently rank pretty highly for her, so these are high stakes announcements for her. :-SS My fingers and toes are crossed for all our kids this week that they get the news and the $$ they are hoping for!!
After this we’ll just be waiting on 3 more, and hopefully those will come in January. For those keeping track, she did submit her application to Southwestern, sent her ACT scores and followed up with her school to make sure they send all their documentation. #:-S