GLOCESTER – They worked hard throughout their high school career to achieve top grades and participated in both academic and after school activities.
But the valedictorian and salutatorian in the Ponaganset High School Class of 2025 did not officially receive the recognition following a district shift in 2024 to the Latin Cum Laude system.
In July, PHS parents petitioned the school district to bring the honors back, noting that the distinction comes with scholarship opportunities, and that college applications ask potential students to list such honors. Some top universities, they noted, even require the valedictorian and salutatorian designation for admissions.
This month, Supt. Renee Palazzo said the school will once again recognize the top two graduates of the academic year, news she announced during her monthly report at the Foster/Glocester School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
“We’ve made some shifts to our Latin honor system, which we developed with the School Improvement Team years ago when I was principal,” said Palazzo.
According to the system laid out in the PHS policy handbook last year, students with a GPA of 4.43 or higher are designated as Summa Cum Laude, with a 4.10 GPA designated as Magna Cum Laude and 3.77 GPA as Cum Laude.
Proponents of the change to the Latin system have said that it recognizes academic accomplishments of students in a fundamentally more equitable way and emphasizes growth. The handbook published last year stated the policy change would decrease unhealthy competition, and promote a shift in mindset moving toward honoring students meeting academic standards and not competing against peers.
Palazzo said the Latin designations will remain in place for the Class of 2026, but the district will also recognize its highest achieving students, as it did in the past.
She has said the initial change was in the making for some five years as an initiative of the high school’s School Improvement Team.
But after just one year without the traditional recognitions with complaints from parents who hoped that such distinctions might be included on their child’s resume, the honors have returned.
“Val and sal have always had a number on and number two ranking, but we’re going to now move towards the actual recognizing of val and sal,” Palazzo said.
