That’s a lot of valedictorians
That’s a lot of valedictorians
The article “Seniors walk tonight” printed in the May 25 issue of The Garden Island reports that the Kapaa HS class of 2018 had a total of 273 students graduating, and 41 of those 273 were valedictorians with a GPA of 4.0 and above. That means that 1 out of every 6.5 Kapaa HS graduates this year is a valedictorian. What does that suggest?
Mary Alexander, Kapaa
Tickets would reduce North Shore traffic
North Shore and Haena State Park problem. One word. COP. If a single parking enforcement officer would ticket and tow every single illegally parked car at Haena Beach and at Ke‘e Beach, not only would that person’s salary be covered, but it would put a ton of money in the coffer.
The word would be out and the hundreds of illegally parked cars would soon end. $250 per ticket payable when you pick up your impounded car. Plus if the person skipped out and left Kauai, if they ever came back they would immediately be popped. Actually this all could have already been done. But, I guess that’s too simple a fix.
David Cooper, Lihue
It suggest those kids will become scientist or some day build a submarine like they studied for at Boston. Then see if it works testing it in Virginia. 4.0 means, you don’t end a sentence in a preposition. at.
Mary, the national trend, right now, is to eliminate recognizing the top graduate of a High School class. You know, so everyone is the same, and no one is recognized for their accomplishments.
The real joke is the weighted GPAs in High School now. Sure, an “A” in Calculus is not the same as an “A” in Applied Math…..but colleges can read a HS transcript.
There used to be an even distribution of grades, sometimes a bell-curve, but now an “A” is awarded to more than half the grades……and almost no one fails.
My niece had a 4.0 GPA and was barely in the upper 50% of her High School.
Interesting point, Mary.
My father graduated in 1950 as valedictorian with a 3.4 GPA.
I graduated in 1979 near Seattle. With 325 graduates, no one had a 4.0. But we were not dummies. Of my two closest friends, one went to Stanford and the other has a PhD.
If this trend continues, everyone will have a 4.0.
David, enforcing laws on Kauai? Like TVAs, illegal Ohana’s, dog licenses, monster truck safety inspections, race/hate crimes against tourists, corner drug homes?? Only when it is convenient are laws enforced.
What you are suggesting is “biting the hand that feeds you”.
The problem here is the culture. The state and county point fingers at each other on who will fund expansions (wider road, two lane bridge, even a graded parking lot…never mind paved parking lot). Add in the fact that it takes years to do anything because we have to use local workers, again, who move like molasses in January. Everyone complains about parking, but then there are demonstrations before a tree is cut down.
If you are going to hand out tickets, then you need to provide adequate parking in the first place. There is none. The Kauai County Council bitches to the Mayor’s administration, then they say give us more money. Local Government positions on this island are almost equivalent to Welfare.
What? 41 valedictorians? I guess I’m old school. I believe they should pick one student who shines above the rest for this honor. Starting to sound like coddling and the “participation trophy” realm of today’s “not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings” world we live in. Maybe that’s OK in youth sports but with real life consequences of scholarships and college admissions, seems to be a political move to advance the reputation or Kapaa HS at the expense of other equally deserving students at other public and private HS on the Island with more rigorous standards.
It is absurd for Kapaa High to award 41 valedictorians, an honor normally reserved for the one best school scholar. That is a disservice to both the top student and to other, lesser, students who did well but did not truly earn the title.
What must one do to earn a 4.0 in a class at Kapaa? Sit in the front rows, ignore the nonsense going on behind you, and hand in tests and papers in time? If one of every 6.5 graduates earns a 4.0 average or better and is deemed a valedictorian, it seems obvious that Kapaa HS students are not being challenged enough intellectually. Raise the bar!
The Kapaa High School 273 students had graduating, with nearly $3.5 million received per scholarships/grants.
Let’s make a comparison.
35 Island School seniors received 125 acceptances from 87 colleges and universities and received $2 million in scholarships. I am certain that the average college acceptance by an Island School senior is for an institution far superior to those schools willing to accept Kapaa High graduates.
Seems like a no-brainer. If you want your child to have the greatest chance of a better college acceptance and the greatest chance of obtaining a scholarship, you are better off sending them to Island School if that is at all possible.
If you cannot afford to pay tuition at Island School, or to receive a scholarship, I strongly suggest that
you either 1) work toward establishing a comprehensive charter school that uses public funds and models itself after the likes of Island School or 2) work toward the deconstruction of of the established, inefficient, bureaucratic state-wide school system (the only one nationwide) and the establishment of local school boards which control the education of our youth.
Our public schools in Hawaii are rated as some of the worst in the nation. Our youth deserve better, not some fake pat-on-the-back honor that gives then false hope as they face real life in a competitive world.
Very good comments, kauaiboy.
41 “valedictorians”? Pretty soon everyone will be a valedictorian. Snowflake-ation of America.
Dear educators, let’s see how these so-called valedictorian SAT scores correlate to their valedictorian-esque grades – do they properly reflect scholastic merit or are they merely the result of massive grade inflation?
What is Kapaa High School doing? Trying to make all of the kids feel good about themselves? That may work while they are in school, but when they graduate, they will be hit with some very sad realities. Work and college give it to you straight up. You have to try hard to get what you want! Kapaa High is not helping these students by making it easier on them. Whomever is in charge over there needs to rethink their polices.
Mary Alexander, it suggests grade inflation, a by-product of the liberal obsession with self-esteem. It goes hand-in-hand with social promotion whereby kids cannot be held back a grade because it might cause them not to “feel good about themselves”, even though they don’t understand a whit of what was taught. No wonder so many parents are opting for home-schooling. The situation is exacerbated in Hawaii with its monolithic DOE which dictates the kind of nonsense that leads to that which your letter addresses. And where does it all ultimately come from? Stupid voters who continue to vote for union-beholden Democrats.
Maybe all the time on smart phones is rubbing off? Maybe with all the new transplants, comes a better gene pool, producing children with superior thought process & higher levels of functioning? Maybe the teachers are world class? Maybe there are better incentives for having it look like the teachers are world class?
Maybe I’ll just have another drink
1989 Walter Souza, newspaper all star baseball lineup. Larry Ephan, the others. On paper 1989, “new birth.” Catholic st. Theresa church, Kekaha. * Nose for news. Honored.
Ross Kagawa is a failure. Guy…