<p>Maybe, they don’t weigh grades?</p>
<p>Or maybe the athlete portion carries more weight than the scholar part…</p>
<p>I’m glad the coach is willing to investigate on your behalf. I think you have the right attitude in not wanting to take anything from the other students, but having Brandon’s achievement recognized as well. Counselors make mistakes too, and letting everybody save a little face can be helpful.</p>
<p>Update . . . this just gets curiouser and curiouser. </p>
<p>Brandon’s head football coach called me just now. He said he definitely submitted Brandon’s correct weighted GPA. He said the committee asked for the weighted GPA. </p>
<p>The head of the All-Star committee will be emailing me about this, but he told B’s coach that it was all based on criteria in addition to the GPA. He also told B’s coach that Brandon was in the final 3 for selection for this award, but the committee voted for the other two players. </p>
<p>If that is so, Brandon should still come ahead of his friend on paper. He has a higher GPA, higher class rank, higher SAT scores, more ECs, more leadership roles, and is a NMSF to boot. But this is more subjective, so I guess I can accept this. </p>
<p>However . . . </p>
<p>The local paper published Brandon’s friend’s name as the player with the highest GPA from the All-Star team. Last night at the banquet, the MC announced that this award was based on the highest GPA on the team and that Brandon’s friend and this other player who won the award had the higest GPA. The committee published that GPA in the program. </p>
<p>In other words, everyone has been told this award was for the highest GPA; now the committee is backing away from that. </p>
<p>Personally, I think they made another mistake, and they don’t want to rectify that, because they were already caught in one error. </p>
<p>I guess there is nothing more that can be done at this point but wait for the email from the head of the committee.</p>
<p>It sounds like other criteria was involved and it wasn’t based purely on numbers. There was some subjective discretion, fair or not. That is how some awards work. Names are submitted and a committee selects from those who are eligible. It doesn’t appear that just GPA was the criteria. I don’t know why they announced it that way and didn’t just leave it as “Scholar-Athlete” in the publicity or ceremony. They should not have announced it as “highest GPA” but simply “chosen Scholar Athlete.” They may have taken the best students (of which your son was in the top three and even above the others in terms of certain academic criteria) and then looked at other things, including athletic aspects. It sounds like they were allowed to CHOOSE/SELECT, and not that the award was based on simply objective statistics. Therefore, I don’t think there is much you can do but see it as a life lesson as to how these things can work.</p>
<p>This seems to be a football (fall sport?) recognition. If Brandon plays other sports, maybe he still has a chance to be recognized as a Scholar/ Athlete for another season.</p>
<p>brandon’s mom, we have an award in our city that is kind of the same thing. It is for - scholar/athletes-football players (must be starters). When we went to the banquet, I was amazed at some of the activities and accomplishments of the kids. There were 25 nominees, all getting scholarships of $500, except for the top 3 winners who get $1000, 1250, and 1500. Of the nominees, there were two valedictorians, my s being one of them. Neither of them were named to the top 3. Even though it is billed as top scholar/athlete, it seems that they base the top awards on many things, economic situations seemed to play a big part - i.e. maybe it was felt that the kid who had come from a very difficult background deserved the credit for doing as well as he had, so he was named one of the top three. </p>
<p>All this being said, we were honored that he was included in the nominees, and didn’t feel cheated by him not winning one of the top prizes.</p>
<p>I understand that your situation seems to be different, but I agree that it must be confirmed as to what the criteria for the award is.</p>
<p>No, there isn’t anything that can be done, and I’m grateful Brandon was selected for the team. </p>
<p>It just is all very weird. </p>
<p>This is the first year they’ve ever had co-winners, and the MC said last night that the players had the exact same GPA, which was the highest on the team. </p>
<p>Nothing that can be done about it, though. As you say, we’ll look at it as an experience, and be grateful for what Brandon has accomplished. And he has accomplished a lot!</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for their interest. I’ll post what the committee member says in his email when I receive it.</p>
<p>How does your son feel? Does he want you to intervene or go to bat for him and right what he feels as an injustice? I think I would follow my sons wishes whether or not to pursue this. Like many things, sometimes the reasoning for these types of awards does have abit of the arbitrary as one parent who mentioned their school had said they like to “spread them around alittle”. It may not be right, but pick your battles as the outcome may be hurtful to all three boys.</p>
<p>Your boy deserves congratulations for all he has accomplished. It is very hard to be a scholar/athlete with the time committment, along with the physical strain, that football can put on a kid. </p>
<p>Good luck with his app for Notre Dame. My s was considering applying there as well, until he decided the distance would be too great. I hope you and he have a great senior year full of many blessings (like a fat envelope from South Bend) ! :)</p>
<p>something similar happened to me in high school…my name was ‘forgotten’ to be included among other students who participated in 3 varsity sports, and who maintained a high gpa. i didnt know this until my name wasnt called at the awards night. i ended up getting my trophy, but it wasnt the same 
it happened at the end of senior year (at senior awards night) so it didnt affect colleges, but it still sucked and i was so upset.
by all means, question it (or maybe have your son question it)</p>
<p>At our school, they definitely weight the “athlete” part more heavily than the “scholar” part when they give the “scholar-athlete” award. This is OK, since the award is given through the sports program and no specific academic criteria is ever stated. Brandon’s case was different in that the announcers of the award stated that it was for the highest GPA. Perhaps it was they who misunderstood and made the error, not the selection committee. I can tell you, however, that it was still tough for some of us sports moms to swallow watching our NMF, all AP class-taking, high GPA kids get ignored for that award and see it given to a kid who never even took an honors class. This, my friends, is life in high school.</p>
<p>Yep, sounds like there’s an element of subjectivity in the selection (despite the shorthand way it is described in the press and from the podium) that you really can’t do anything about. Back in the dark ages I lost the “Best Scholar Athlete” award in HS when I thought I should have won it – the selection criteria was a bit bizarre and ultimately came down to putting a bit more emphasis on “athlete” than “scholar”. Once I understood that, the disappointment went away – I had to admit the winner was a better athlete than me – he went on to play football at LSU – even though I was a slightly (very slightly) better student. I’d say just drop it. Celebrate your son’s many achievements and put this one in the rear view mirror.</p>
<p>“This, my friends, is life in high school.”</p>
<p>That’s very true. We went through it with #1 (with some of the “merit” awards that went only to kids who qualified for financial aid or were of certain ethnic backgrounds) , and are now experiencing different “issues” with #2 who goes to a Catholic high school. It is life in high school, no matter where the high school is located.</p>
<p>Example: We just found out that only “certain” freshmen made the JV or varsity basketball team at #2’s school. Decisions seem to be based on where the student went to elementary school, or if they had a sibling who went to this school. (not whether they were more skilled players.) Needless to say, my daughter did not go to the right elementary school (ie; a catholic one), and her brother did not go to this high school. </p>
<p>The good news is that she is a super star on the freshman team and plays in every game! I was much more concerned about it than she was. She could care less.</p>
<p>I got the response from the selection committee. He danced around the question of why they posed the award as the “highest GPA” on the team and why it was described as such in the paper, at the banquet, and in the program. However, he is adament about his selections, which apparently were made by him and him only. </p>
<p>I told him we were perfectly fine with his choices based on the revised criteria he presented to us, and that we were thrilled for B’s friend. I asked him to please understand why we were perplexed, and the subject is closed.</p>
<p>All in all, I think I handled things right asking for an explanation. Now we won’t sit around and wonder why!</p>
<p>Thanks again for everyone’s input!! You all have been so VERY helpful. Thank God for CC . . . you all are GREAT!!!</p>
<p>Brandon’s mom:</p>
<p>So what, in the end, were the criteria of this self-styled selection committee of exactly one? Inquiring minds want to know.
BTW, kudos to you for handling it with such graciousness.</p>
<p>Brandon’s mom,.
Adding my applause for your grace in handling a difficult situation.</p>
<p>Marite #36:</p>
<p>Here is the email I received (with changes to names and schools to provide a modicum of privacy!):</p>
<p>"Dear Mrs __________,
"I am responding to your inquiry into the selection of the Scholar Athlete award last night. As <strong><em>MC</em></strong> described, there was an error made in the selection of the winner on my behalf. The first winner should have been the player from the <strong><em>other school</em></strong><em>, and (Brandon’s friend) was selected instead. We corrected that last night and will present the </em><em>other school</em>** player with a plaque in private. The committee to select the player is a small one, just me. The parameters are not simply the highest GPA, but involved athletic history, character, special circumstances, and it comes down to picking someone that the late Coach <strong><em>after whom the award is named</em></strong> would pick. Its a very difficult task and I often take away names and make my selection on information only. The circumstances behind my decision include information that is not generally available to the public, and for that reason I will respect the privacy of those involved. Please know that the award, although prestigious in nature, will not advserly affect those not selected. The persons that have been honored are the right persons, (Brandon’s friend) was always in the top two during my convoluted process. </p>
<p>(The above paragraoh and explanation were convoluted to me, but oh well! He has his reasons for pciking who he did. Absolutely fine.)</p>
<p>“Brandon sounds like a terrific young man and I am sure he will do well in life. With his accomplishments, we can all be proud of him as I am sure you are. The awarding of the Coach <strong><em>after whom the award is named</em></strong> Award hass been completed for this cycle and I hope that you will respect our decisions of the two young men.” </p>
<p>And my reply:</p>
<p>"Thank you, Mr ******. </p>
<p>I" respect the decision you made. It is your committee and your award, and we of course are happy for (B’s friend), as he is one of Brandon’s best friends. </p>
<p>"However, you must understand the confusion. When:
The <strong><em>local paper</em></strong> said that (B’s friend) had the highest GPA on the team;
It was announced at the banquet that the award was given for the highest GPAs on the team and no other criteria were presented;
The “winning” GPA of 4.07 was published in the program;
(B’s friend’s father) told us he couldn’t understand how (B’s friend) won when his GPA was lower than Brandon’s;</p>
<p>it wasn’t just my husband and I who were perplexed. Others were obviously under the impression that the award was given solely for the highest GPA on the team. </p>
<p>I naturally had some questions, as I think anyone would have. </p>
<p>If the criteria for the award had been presented as you did in this email, we would never have thought twice about it. </p>
<p>I hope you understand that we are not the type of parents who think their children are the best at everything and don’t accept the decisions of those who do not. And I hope you respect that, given the criteria we heard last night and read in the paper, we would have been confused and had some questions. </p>
<p>Thank you for the clarification on your award. (B’s friend) truly deserves it. </p>
<p>We look forward to an exciting game tomorrow night.</p>
<p>Props for being so gracious.</p>
<p>Brandon’s mom, you wrote a very nice response.</p>
<p>I hope your son has/will congratulate his best friend. From reading your earlier post, there seems to be some confusion about the worthiness of the winners. I hope now your son will be very gracious as you were in your response. (Perhaps he already has?).</p>