The Plain Local School Board replaced Top 25 with the Latin Awards for the class of 2026 and beyond at GlenOak High School to recognize more students for their hard work.
GlenOak’s Principal Brett Niarchos explained that not only does it recognize students who potentially make the top 25, but it will also recognize students who have a GPA ranging from 3.9 and above, awarding more students for their hard work.
“I wasn’t expecting anything special, but this was an eye-opener. It made me feel better about myself,” senior Jessica Dick said.
Dick is a senior taking three Advanced Placement classes during her senior year. This caused her GPA to boost to over 4.1. She would not be recognized, like many other seniors, if it was not for the new honor system.
“I’m getting rewarded for pushing myself,” Dick said.
There are three different Latin Awards ranging from 3.9 and above. Cum Laude is achieved when a student’s grade point ranges from 3.9 to 4.0. Magna Cum Laude is for students in the 4.1 to 4.39 range, and finally Summa Cum Laude is for students with 4.4 and higher.
“I like that more people are being recognized,” Summa Cum Laude senior Anna Resanovich said. If the school stayed within the Top 25; Resanovich may have been in that honorable group.
Resanovich said she thinks it is fair, especially to the students who worked hard during their high school years.
“They are getting specific stoles for graduation,” Niarchos said. The stoles will have the student’s Latin Award name labeled on the left side of the stole.
The stoles will not be the only change for graduation.
In the past, the top 25 would be seated in the front row. Due to more students being recognized, students will be seated in alphabetical order. They will walk across the stage with their achieved Latin Award announced.
The valedictorian will be replaced by the Summa Scholar.
Niarchos stated that students from the Summa Cum Laude group have the opportunity to submit a speech to a committee of 9 staff members, who will be given anonymous speeches to grade. The best graded speech selected determines the Summa Scholar for graduation.
This differs from the Top 25, as more students are given the opportunity to apply for the top scholar to speak at graduation.
Not only does the Summa Scholar get a chance at speaking, but any student in the Latin Awards can be nominated for class choice, which is a student selected by students to speak at graduation.
Niarchos stated that the only way a student could become a class choice last year was if they were in the top 25. Now, the opportunity is granted to more students, as long as they are in the Latin Award system.
In addition, due to more students being recognized for their hard work, this opens the opportunity for students in each Latin Award group to honor an educator even if they were already picked by another student.
“So let’s say someone picked Mrs. Spano well, then after that, Mrs. Spano couldn’t be picked again under the old system. This year, you can pick a teacher as many times as you want,” Niarchos said.
Student awards will be presented during the Academic Award night in May. They will receive their stoles with their designated Latin Award to wear at graduation.
