Policy 7431 – Graduation Awards

Effective with the Class of 1999, the Johnstown High School will recognize a valedictorian and a salutatorian, but will also recognize scholars with four year cumulative averages of 90.0% or higher as summa cum laude graduates.  The recognition for the valedictorian, salutatorian and the summa cum laude graduates will take the form of a cast medal suspended on a purple and gold ribbon.  The recognition called the Johnstown High School Scholastic Honor Award will be presented to each honor graduate by the President of the Board of Education during the portion of the graduation ceremony entitled recognition of the prize winners.  Honor graduates are to be named alphabetically.  Honor graduates will be named at the annual awards day exercise, but the medals will be presented on graduation day.  The selection of the valedictorian and salutatorian and honor graduates will be made not later than May 15 of the graduation year.  When the top students are separated by fractions of a percentage, then such students will be named co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian as the high school principal shall decide.

In addition to recognition and awards for academic excellence, the Johnstown High School will honor those students who demonstrate high achievement, commitment and enthusiasm for a particular discipline.  This award called the Johnstown High School Departmental Award consists of a cast medal suspended on a ribbon.  The ribbon will be of a color that represents the field of learning established by the Intercollegiate code to differentiate the different areas of study.  Because certain graduates display outstanding achievement, skill, commitment and enthusiasm for a particular subject area and could not qualify for a summa cum laude award, the Departmental Award is established.

The Departmental Award shall be selected by a committee of teachers from each discipline chaired by the department supervisor.  The award is to be given to the student with the highest achievement, but department committees may establish other criteria in order to identify the most worthy recipient.  The recipients of the Departmental Awards will be kept confidential and announced at the graduation ceremony during the portion of the program entitled recognition of prize winners.  The student to be awarded the medal for highest achievement in vocational technical education will be selected by the guidance department and the medal will be presented by the student’s counselor of record.  It shall be the custom of this program to limit the number of medals awarded to any one student to three including the medal for overall academic excellence.

All students who completed their high school program with an overall grade of 85.0% or higher will be identified with an appropriate symbol in the graduation program.

Adopted:  4/25/01