Award Assemblies in High School

Wholesale Student Recognition May Cheapen the Idea of Excellence

Jan 1, 2009

The creation of student awards in many fields allows teachers and administrators to recognize a maximum number of students, yet defeats the purpose of excellence.

At the end of the caucus race in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Dodo announces that, “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.” Sadly, this is also a good description of the trend in high school awards assemblies. Whether academic or athletic, schools today are giving out an ever increasing number of awards, usually to appease both students and parents that seek to fill transcripts and resumes with all kinds of honors.

The Purpose of Recognizing Excellence

In the January, 2009 Smithsonian, Richard Conniff comments on the growing proliferation of the Hall of Fame: “They honor achievement in fields where tickertape parades and groupies are not generally part of the deal structure. Dairy farming, for instance.” [1] Conniff’s observations can apply equally to high schools. Where once an “English Award” designated the school’s top achieving student in English, today half a dozen or more English Awards recognize everything from “Best Creative Writer” to “Outstanding Satirist.”

In academics as in athletics, public recognition of excellence with an award should be a singular distinction. The football player scoring the most touchdowns can claim a singular number that surpassed everyone else on the team. There is no award for “Most Innovative Touchdown” or “Athlete with the Best Personality on the Field.” Excellence refers to the top achievers, given the awards criteria. When only excellence is recognized, it becomes meaningful and acts as a model to future contenders.

Recognizing excellence by creating a plethora of sub-divisions cheapens the process of recognition, especially if done for the wrong reasons. Invariably, those tasked with making the nominations want to “spread the wealth” by ensuring that one or two top students don’t walk away with all the honors. That strikes a blow at the self-esteem of the rest of the student body. Johnny may not be able to help it if he happens to be the best Science, Math, and Language student upon graduation, promoting the creation of sub awards to honor the next levels of semi-excellent achievement.

When No Awards Exist, Invent New Ones

If the goal is to give as many students as possible some type of recognition, then the solution is the creation of new awards:

The list can go on. Some schools develop elaborate GPA tiers, awarding students certificates based on the maintenance of a specific GPA range. Perhaps borrowed from concepts devised by giving foundations (Diamond Level, Founder’s Level, Patron’s Level, etc.), these award levels allow for maximum numbers of students to receive recognition.

Some school departments give awards for “Most Improved,” “Highest Average” in a particular course, or “Best Essay Writer.” Realistically, it is possible to reward everyone or, as Alice’s Dodo said, “EVERBODY has won,” given enough creative license. Parents will smile and break out their cameras just to photograph their child walking forward to receive the gold certificate for "Most Outstanding Conjugator of Verbs."

The Real Value of Awards

The real value in presenting awards of excellence may rest in the limiting of an awards menu. There is only one Oscar for Best Actor and in high school there are no supporting actors, only valedictorians and salutatorians. Keeping academic awards at a minimum and eliminating most awards for underclass students may bring back the notion that awards really do count for something.

[1] Richard Conniff, "Your Name Here: if you're not yet a Hall of Famer, maybe you're just not trying," Smithsonian, January 2009, p.96

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