‘It takes away from kids who work hard’: Parent clapping woke up Colorado school district’s decision on AX farewell performances after bosses said ‘learning is not a competition’
- Last week, Cherry Creek School District staff sent out a letter to families saying they would suspend the valedictorian awards because it singles out the top student in the class.
- Less than an hour from Denver, Arapaho County’s Western District leadership says schools in the region will phase out class rankings entirely.
- District parents reacted angrily to the March memorandum, calling it unfair.
The Colorado school district infuriated parents after they announced plans to cancel farewell prizes in what critics branded as the latest “fairness-obsessed” emphasis on mediocrity over excellence.
“The practice of class rank and honors status is outdated and inconsistent with what we know and believe about our students,” Cherry Creek School District officials said in a statement to families last Monday announcing the change.
“We believe that all students can learn at a high level, and learning is not a competition,” the letter says.
According to the letter, instead of the highest-ranking student delivering the final valedictory speech—a staunch tradition in US and Western schools and universities—they will recognize academic achievement in “other ways.”
Some of the concepts the district says will replace this practice include rolls of honor, graduation certificates that celebrate academic achievement, and separate award ceremonies for faculty and school student achievement.
The guidance, put into effect immediately by Arapahoe County’s western district, less than an hour west of Denver, will do away with the concept of class ranking at all of the region’s public high schools, officials said, so as not to exclude students.
Cherry Creek School District’s farewell ceremony in 2021 is depicted, but the awards will be discontinued in 2026 as part of a push for “fairness” that angered parents.
The letter alleges that the district consulted with many schools, colleges and universities in Colorado before ultimately deciding to eliminate the differences, which were effective immediately.
It was revealed that during this period, district staff approached the University of Denver for their opinion on the then-proposed program, and the university leadership apparently gave them their approval.
The district’s letter said the university said it was “not concerned that schools are revoking class ranks or valedictorian recognition,” citing that university officials do not account for such differences in the admissions process.
The bulletin goes on to state that “many college and university admissions offices stopped considering class ranking many years ago, as very few high schools still report class ranking.”
He then claims that there will be further evaluations of Cherry Creek students to track their progress.
Despite these claims, the school district’s parents reacted largely with anger to the announcement, with many arguing that the new policy neglected students’ hard work.
But at least one school parent told Denver TV stations that removing the class title and farewell speech “won’t eliminate the stress we see in other students” and would have the added effect of “depriving those who want to work on it.” “. .’