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<p>LOL. You have people. As in plural? IRL? Gee…what’s that like? ;)</p>
<p>Mamacol</p>
<pre><code>I love hearing success stories like this, celebration dinner and all.
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<p>Jazzymom - that is so true - I read and re-read that piece of mail! I double-checked the name, everything :)</p>
<p>And I know what you mean about not having anyone to talk to about this stuff. If I am disappointed that my S is getting a B in something, my sisters just act like I’m too demanding or something. I wouldn’t mind if he got a B because he tried and that was the best he could do, but when he doesn’t even bother studying (French vocabulary ARGGH!), I get irritated.</p>
<p>And cottonwood, you are very kind. We’ll even let him pick the restaurant!</p>
<p>It is maddening that you can google a kid who is on a sports team on a highschool or college and he will show up in multiple articles. A good student… well, nothing.</p>
<p>I’ll bake something for dessert…what would he like?</p>
<p>In one of my first CC posts (last month) I gingerly mentioned something my son had done and was pleasantly surprised by all the nice comments.</p>
<p>It’s having unlimited long distance calling to bother 2 old classmates or 2 relatives (inlaws) plus 2 locals - all with equally gifted kids, a whole handful plus that are willing to be bothered, and then I pick and choose who to tell what to (women network). </p>
<p>The point for those bursting with news that is out of most people’s league is to try to develop a network of people you can share with, use all of your resources so you and your spouse don’t echo each other. And remember to not let your child hear you- they won’t understand your need to share good news or frustrations (although it is good to let them hear you tell the relatives the honors/high scores, it shows them you are proud of them- although they may not want to hear the rest of the explanation as to what it all means, such as how few people get that score… for example, telling grandparents about a low percent score on a national test that puts the grandchild in the top percentiles requires some explanation- son actually got some points on an elective test with a median around zero, it was fun to be excited about a “low” score and then explain why).</p>
<p>“I’d like to see him go to a challenging school with small classes and lots of discussion and debate with professors and other students. It is his life and his passion to find.”</p>
<p>mamacol</p>
<p>If you’d like to see my son’s list of LAC’s that exactly meet this description, I’d be happy to send them by pm. Of course there will be many other schools that would also fill the bill.</p>
<p>OP:
I assume your S is a junior. I think this “perfect score” will be recognized next year closer to his graduation. He will be nominated as a Presidential Scholar, which will generate press releases, and then if he is selected as one, he will be heading to DC and that will be jumped on by the media. I have no doubt his achievement will be ackonowledged by his school and the school district. Be patient and the accolades will come. Also remember you have no idea who in his class has achieved a perfect score on either the SAT or the ACT.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>First Congrats to your son, it is an amazing achievement and I am sure colleges will be walking over each other to get him to attend their school.</p>
<p>NOW</p>
<p>Let me get this correct. You want the school to give him kudos and make the rest of the class feel inferior? How would you feel if your child came home and told you the school announced over the loud speaker XXX got a 36, and all your DS got was a 31 (BTW that is still a great score)? Would you not feel horrible for your child b/c they felt that they were not as good? Would you get on the horn and ask what the school was thinking? I sure would…I would be mad as Hades at the fact that they are releasing scores for public consumention. I would also be mad if they thought that this would have a positive effect on the student body. Let’s even make it more realistic to the child who got a 21…would you want to see that face when they just spent 8 hrs., knowing that someone else in their class got a 36?</p>
<p>My brother scored a perfect 800 on his SAT Math, when you score an 800 they make you re-take it, he scored another 800. His vision is 20/4000, he is legaly blind, the school never made a deal out of it, nor did my parents. He performed to the best of his abilities and they were proud of him for that.</p>
<p>Your child performed to the best of his abilities, but if he is that smart it should have been expected that he could obtain the goal</p>
<p>BTW when your child also gets a 2400 on the SAT, the national media will be on your doorstep, so you will then have more attention and scholarships than you will know what to do with 
(I do not mean that in any condescending manner, b/c I am sure he has the ability)</p>
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<p>Not true. I know several counterexamples.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen anyone’s GPA or SAT published by a school; they list NMF honors, but don’t say what the scores were; they list val and sal but don’t say what their GPA was.</p>
<p>Our school posts perfect scores on its website in a banner across the top where individual achievements are listed. They also post it in school district magazine and in local papers.</p>
<p>Our school has a math wall where scores of 700 and up are listed - a bit more inclusive than just the perfect scorers.</p>
<p>Anybody whose perfect scores are publicized in the press must be prepared for the kind of negative reactions that were meted out in CC recently to a young man who did not get into Harvard (but got into other fabulous schools including Caltech). It’s not an experience I’d wish on my child.</p>
<p>The reason that a school would be eager to share the accomplishments of its students, whether in sports or academics, is that it makes the school look good. People in our community are frequently complaining about the tax dollars they pay to support the schools, and by highlighting the good things their students do, it makes the public know they are getting value for their money.</p>
<p>bulletandpima, my S’s hs has daily announcements that frequently mention the sports accomplishments of various students and teams. No one I know ever gets upset about that, nor does my S feel bad because someone won a medal in a track meet. That said, I do not think that it would be appropriate to announce a student’s test scores on the daily announcements. That would be really wierd, and not targeting the administration’s intended audience for such news, which would be the public at large.</p>
<p>I am glad that your brother did so well on his SATs, but what is up with the comment about my son getting a 2400?</p>
<p>Very few take SAT around here…just not the norm!</p>
<p>I knew it would not come across properly, thus the problem of internet forums. I meant for it to be a compliment, that I am sure he will get a 2400 and thus as parents you will really be jumping for joy with merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Please believe me when I state that I am saying it in a positive, supportive manner.</p>
<p>
Huh? Not in my experience.</p>
<p>As to announcing a 36 score making others feel bad - does my son feel bad when someone runs faster than he does? No. I don’t think getting a top SAT or ACT score is that big a deal however. I know nothing went out in writing about the son of a friend of mine who got perfect SAT scores a few years ago. (And he wasn’t an SAT scholar because his grades were nothing special.)</p>
<p>They do post NMS finalists and commended in the school newsletter.</p>
<p>PS Congrats to him!</p>
<p>Yeah, at our school, it’s routine to celebrate in public — in electronic bulletins, in the principal’s newsletter, the school newspaper, in assemblies, over the loudspeaker, etc. — the accomplishments of student athletes and, very occasionally, the musicians. </p>
<p>If someone kicked a 60-year field goal or pitched a no-hitter to win the game, or won their individual weight class in wrestling, or the pole vault event at a big CIF track meet, it gets mentioned in various media with appropriate kudos attached. It gets announced on the loud speaker in the daily bulletins. Never heard anyone fret over how students who didn’t win anything might feel, or whether hearing of these accomplishments will somehow “rub it in” to those who tried out but didn’t make the team. </p>
<p>Maybe it makes some feel inferior, maybe it doesn’t, but concern on that point doesn’t stop the school from celebrating athletic accomplishment. Why is it so hard to acknowledge a “win” (a perfect score) in something that involves mental prowess?</p>
<p>All kids need to take the SAT or ACT to get into a 4 yr college from HS…you don’t need to be a track, football or baseball player. There is a reason kids have test anxiety, they fear their scores might stop them from getting their dream. Not many kids worry that if they run slower in PE than another kid that it will effect the chances of getting into a college.</p>