Wanna know two words that can scare the sagging, almost already falling off pants of several dozen seventeen year old students of North Providence High School?
School. Rankings.
That’s right. Might as well sound off a real fire alarm Goho cause I’ll bet more than half the kids of the Class of 2014 panicked at the mere sound of those two words, whether on the top or bottom of the honor roll totem pole. High school rankings is the hot topic for seniors right now (well, amongst some of them anyhow). If you’re not a senior, you’ve probably managed to hear bits of what’s going on since that’s how much we seem to talk about it.
If I seem to be talking nonsense to you right now and you’re thinking, “what are you talking about, I haven’t heard anything,” then this newspaper edition was probably published a bit too late for my argument here. But anyways, back to my ranting.
It’s no secret that several seniors of North Providence High School have already discussed this major popular topic over and over again to their families, friends, and even teachers. Some have even been disrupting class for their incessant chattering of, what I like to call, “ranking drama.”
If there was one word in the whole entire Merriam Webster English dictionary I could use to describe the situation amongst the senior class, it’s drama. Yeah you heard right. Drama. Now I’m not saying every student in the senior class is affected by this ranking plague. There are many students of the senior class who could give two mitts over what rank they possess and that’s perfectly fine. The argument I wish to present here is not why you should care or how important it is to the college application process. What your problems are are your problems for a reason. The topic I seek to address here today is instead directed towards those who maybe care a bit too much and are maybe taking it too far.
Many seniors of North Providence High School are expressing their utmost anger over their school ranks. Most of the complaints come from dissatisfaction with the amount of weight put into honor classes. It is not uncommon to hear many complain about how honor classes should be weighted more because they’re harder and that they should have a higher rank than those who didn’t take those classes.
But these people seem to be ignoring something.
Honor classes are not taken for the sole reason of getting a higher rank than others. That’s not how they work. Honor classes are for those who feel their learning capabilities are well enough to continue onto a more difficult learning course. Those who take those courses and still wish for a higher rank should not only expect more difficult and rigorous coursework, but remember that that does not guarantee them a higher rank than those who took other classes. One who takes an honors course should not feel disappointed when someone who didn’t take one gets a higher rank, for it is through one’s own decisions and faults that led them to it.
Senior Taylor O’Neill herself states that, “The ranks are weighted fairly. People deserve the spot they’re currently at.” She also states that students should not be solely be focused on how low their rankings are and that it’s GPA that matters. “You’re just a student in the spectrum when it comes to rank. Focus on your own personal GPA because that’s what colleges are going to look at most.” That’s right, Taylor. Seniors should stop comparing and downplaying others and maybe start looking at themselves first.
By: Amy Zhang