Importance Of Valedictorian

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The naming of a valedictorian has caused many problems. There have been countless cases of students suing the school district over a .001 grade point average differentiation. Many schools name one valedictorian and one salutatorian. While others have decided other methods. Whether it is naming everyone with a 4.0 grade point average or higher a valedictorian, the top ten percent or top ten students, or completely dropping the tradition all together. However, changing the valedictorian title is not a viable solution. To understand why graduating classes need valedictorians, one must understand what a valedictorian really is. The term "valedictorian" merely refers to the student who presents the closing speech, called the valedictory address, to the class. This speech is a crucial part of the graduation ceremony. Because of this importance, its giver, the class valedictorian, shall always have a place in educational society. Also, to understand why the valedictorian system is viable and should not be altered, one must understand its selection process. Although it varies from school t...

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