GazetteXtra | Let’s applaud academic achievements, too

When I picked my son up from basketball practice the other night from Madison West.  I noticed a few buses.  I counted 8 buses.  I asked my son  ..

” Why are these buses here at this time of night? ”  It was a little after 7 o’ clock.     He said  ‘ oh that’s the mathletes.”    After talking with him a bit longer I found out there was a math competition going on at West that night and its a common thing for them to have competitions.    I asked him if they the students from the math program that take part in this like being called ” mathletes.”

He said no one he knows minds it in fact the kids he knows on the math team like it.  It was clear from talking with my son that the mathletes get just as much if not more respect than any ‘ athlete.’  .  Because its true that with math not everyone can do it,  either you are good at it or you are not.

Mathletes.. pretty darn neat!!!

I really like the fact that Madison West has more academic clubs than athletic programs.

Madison West has had some athletes go on to play in the N.B.A.  and the N.F.L.    but they have had many more kids excel and reach ‘ celebrity’ status because of their academic accomplishments than the athletic accomplishments.

Academics must come first.

Applaud those schools who put academics first.

( hint Evansville does not put academics first.)

GazetteXtra | Let’s applaud academic achievements, too.

Cum,Laude, Magna Cum Laude and what ever … email from Scott Everson

This is the email I received from Scott Everson yesterday.

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My name is Scott Everson and I am the EHS Principal.  I am writing to you parents of 8^th graders specifically because I would like your input and feedback on an idea that our leadership team is currently investigating and possibly implementing here at Evansville High School starting with next year’s Freshmen: the Laude System.  So what is a “Laude System”?

Basically, it’s a system designed to recognize and reward students for not just their grade point average (GPA), but a combination of rigorous course choices and their performance in all courses.  Over the span of their high school career, students would accumulate ‘honor points’ (number of “advanced classes” multiplied by their grade point average = honor points).

  The number of honor points would eventually help those students achieve a level of Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or the highest level, Summa Cum Laude, at graduation time.  The Laude System motivates students to challenge themselves academically, gives control to the students through the honor point attainment, and reduces the ‘GPA competition game’ between our top individual students.

We have created a website that provides much more information and resources, samples of what other districts have implemented, facts about class ranks, Q and A’s, and more.  I invite you to look at the website and let me know what you think: http://libguides.ecsdnet.org/EHSlaudesystem

Please feel free to reply to this email with questions, comments, or concerns.  Likewise, the website allows for comments in various spots so please feel free to comment on there as well.

We are currently in an exploration/investigation stage seeking the input from you parents, teachers, and others.  This process would need to be approved by the ECSD School Board before implementation, if/when it gets to that point.  I thank you for your time reading this e-mail!

Scott Everson

EHS Principal

PLEASE CHECK out the website he has put a link for in the email.

Sadly I was very disappointed in the email.   Because it does nothing to help the kids who struggle day in and day out.   IT once again it aimed at those who already achieve .  Who are already taking advanced classes.   I read some comments about this yesterday from someone and I at first thought she was being kind of harsh and the more I thought about it, no she was not.   She was really spot on.

I really hope they are not spending any money on this.    Because it does nothing for the majority of high school students.