Algonquin recently released its honor roll for the first term of the school year. There are three levels of honors, with Principal’s List being the highest. Click the links to find out who made the lists:
- Principal’s List (444 students)
- Honor’s List (305 students)
- Commended List (270 students)
Congratulations to all who made the honor roll.
Hmmm, 1,019 made some kind of Honor roll. And there are how many in the school…1,200? More than 80% are Honor students. What a distinction.
I have to say that I thought the same thing. These kids are nearly adults and are being treated like Kindergarten kids where “everyone gets a trophy.” If “honor roll” is more than, say, 15%, it is no honor at all.
Mr. Beane,
There are approximately 1,400 students at ARHS, not 1,200. They have been ranked in the past by Boston Magazine as 11th out of 50 in academic performance, can boast a 98% graduation rate, offer approximately 102 sports teams, extracurriculars and clubs for students to choose from, and about 150 AP courses (in 18 different subjects), elective and honors classes.
Personally, I know many students who graduated and went on to all levels of college (from community college all the way to ivy leagues) and were well prepared for college academics after leaving ARHS…..my son being one of them. The kids have earned their grades and honors. There is no false sense of high performance as these kids
continue to earn their places in colleges all over the country. In 2009, 84% attended
a 4 year college (in 2008, 87% and in 2007, 89%).
What kind of issue could you possibly have with all this positive information? There are so many real “issues” that warrant negative comment on this blog, certainly not this one.
By the way, it’s about 72% who have earned some level of honor, not 80%
Both of my children graduated from ARHS and consistently achieved honors with a great deal of hard work. They are now successful adults with graduate degrees. It,s a great school. The negative comments must come from former separate high school supporters….sour grapes!
Pat and Barbara,
The point of Mr. Beane’s post couldn’t be more simple — an “honor” that is handed out to the vast majority of students (> 70%) is really not much of an honor at all.
You’re expending a lot of energy making your point — that ARHS is a great school — when it has nothing at all to do with his point. In fact I suspect that he agrees with you about ARHS being a great school, as do I. But I agree with him as well.
I agree – what kind of honor roll is this that 70% of the kids get on it??? Did they dumb down the honor roll so every kid can get a trophy?
OK, I admit, I can see the points you all are making. However, I do believe that
we can expect high %’s of kids making some sort of honors list considering the makeup of our towns. There certainly is a correlation between a better living environment (both community and home) and higher grades and higher expectations, is there not?
In the end, Algonquin is a successful high school. Maybe not because of the high number of kids on the honor roll but because of the more important measures of success; high graduation rates and high 4 yr. college attendance rates. And the icing on the cake is, once our kids are there….they are able to compete with their peers from both public and private schools.
My point was and is…..was it really worth the original negative comment? I can’t stand bashing for the sake of bashing. If these students were not getting into good colleges, not getting in at all, or dropping out like flies because they can’t compete, then you have reason to complain away.
And, to the author of comment #5, please don’t tell me to “get a grip”. I like to think I have an open mind and am quite willing listen to other viewpoints without the attitude.
Pat Q,
It’s true that I purposely “tweaked” you and Ms. Millett in my first post, because both of you jumped ugly on Mr. Beane without necessity or provocation; therefore, quite frankly, I believed that you deserved the tweak. In other words, the “attitude” started with you two. My opinion.
But that all being said, it was only a tweak and I respect your second post very much. Again, I agree with both points, but I certainly believe that your point (that ARHS is a great school) is the much more important one!
I agree that Algonquin is an excellent school – and was and remain a supporter of it as a larger, regional school; I think larger schools offer the chance for broader curricular offerings, more student diversity, more extracurriculars, etc. – and am proud to have a quality school system associated with Southborough.
That being said, I also agree with those saying that that is a separate issue from an ‘honor’ roll that includes more than 70% of the students. There are colleges that are excellent, too, but which still face questions about grade inflation when it seems that everyone gets high grades or honors. The point is that an honor roll should be an honor for the best, to create an incentive – if it becomes a ‘participation award’ it loses its impact. It would be interesting to know what the GPA levels or academic measures are for each of the 3 tiers of the honor roll at Algonquin are.
Please ignore the 2nd “are” in my last sentence. That’s a typo, not how they taught me to write in the high school I went to!
Per the ARHS handbook:
Principal’s list: GPA of 4.3 or no grade lower than A-
Honor’s list: GPA of 4.0 or no grad lower than B
Commended list: GPA of 3.5 or no grade below B-
The various honors are from all 3 levels of courses organized on the basis of three achievement levels.
College Prepatory, Honors and Advanced Placement
To the author formerly known as “Get a Grip Ladies”……..I appreciate your honest post
Thanks, Pat, but can you please clarify a bit more – what scale is that on – a 4.0 scale or a 5.0 scale, etc? If a 4.0 scale, then does that mean that one can get higher than a 4.0 by getting A’s in AP courses (AP courses being worth more “grade points” – I remember my high school had this). But if that’s the case, then Honors would mean one could get all B’s and still get a 4.0 (yes, possibly by having those B’s come in AP courses, but maybe not). So, can you clarify the scale upon which the GPA’s are based?
It’s not to make too big a deal about this, but it’s interesting as it relates to the accomplishments of the young people of Southborough (and Northborough) on this one measure. There are, of course many other measures of accomplishment as well.
ARHS conversion table
ARHS Traditional (used by most high schools)
5.0 scale 4.0 scale
5.0 4.0
A 5.0 4.0
A- 4.6 3.7
B+ 4.2 3.3
B+ 3.8 3.0
B- 3.3 2.7
C+ 2.9 2.3
C 2.5 2.0
Principal’s list: GPA of 4.3 or no grade lower than A-
Honor’s list: GPA of 4.0 or no grad lower than B
Commended list: GPA of 3.5 or no grade below B-
My observation certainly set off some spirited comment beyond what I anticipated. The several who immediately got my point are appreciated for their objectivity. The several who chose to take my observation as a slam on Algonquin are entitled to their overy sensitive opinion…in my opinion. The NBA, NFL and NHL all get the same feedback…that having a VAST majority of teams qualify for the play off’s tends to diminish that accomplishment. That doesn’t mean that these sports are not fun and do not have outstanding performers. Similarly, it seems to me, ARHS has all sorts of outstanding accomplishments and distinguished and accomplished graduates. Having an academic rating system, however, that recognizes more than 70% (thanks for the enrolement update) of the students is a bit quirky.
For the record, I was an active Southboro supporter of keeping ARHS a regional school as won the day. My son was an honor grad of ARHS, Clemson University and is finishing his MBA at BC this month. He was a beneficiary of and active participant in the great ARHS music program. I have nothing but the greatest appreciation and respect for what he got from ARHS. I retain an active role in prepping Southboro middle school youth for tennis, T&F, skiing and XC opportunities now and when they get to ARHS. I get to their meets, concerts, plays and games at ARHS when ever I can. You won’t find a bigger ARHS booster. Finding the 70% + honor roll participation “overly accomodating” in no way is or was intended to disparage what the school does to ready students for the real worldl. Thanks for those who “got it’ the first time and explained my initial comment better than me. Thanks for those who initially cried foul but have since revised their reaction based on subsequent testimony…”go T-hawks.”
Wow. This is certainly interesting. As a both a private school parent and proud parent of an ARHS grad I say they both have merit. My son is now at the honors program at the world famous University of Missouri School of Journalism. He was an “honor”student at ARHS but I must admit he felt towards the end of his tenure as a BMOC, and one of the editors of the highly acclaimed Harbinger that the process for acceptance to Algonquin’s National Honor Society was flawed. Life throws so much at these kids, why not let them have their name in the paper? Don’t understand all of the haters….
Regardless, my son is doing great at MIZZOU and was more than prepared whether his name was on the list or not. That is all that matters, what these kids do with the education.