Hindsale Central Eliminates Valedictorians

The school will instead recognize the top 2 percent of its graduating classes.

At Hinsdale Central, graduating at the top of the class just lost a little luster.

Starting with this year's class, the high school will no longer name a valedictorian, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The school will instead recognize the top 2 percent of graduating classes, said Hinsdale Central Principal Michael McGory. That would mean 13 or 14 students would be recognized in an expected graduating class of about 675.

In December 2007, the Hinsdale High School District 86 School Board voted to phase out class ranking for its two schools, Central and South.

"We felt like the class rank was limiting students' post-secondary and college opportunities because a student could have a GPA of 4.0 and be ranked anywhere from 50 to 100 in the class," McGrory said. "Even with a high GPA, that would limit opportunities for college acceptance."

Central continued to name a valedictorian but that tradition will now end, leaving Peter Kallis from the Class of 2011 as the school's final valedictorian.

Students who need their class ranking for scholarship or college applications are able to have that information made available, McGory said.

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