I'm going to have just turned 17 when I graduate from high school since I'm doing it a year early.

I have a 4.0 GPA. I won most artistic in my graduating class. I have taken honors and AP classes throughout the years. I got a 1370 on my SAT's (and I'm taking them again to hit 1400).

I am a member of the National Honor Society. I've accomplished all of this and then some, yet my name is only going to be on a tiny, two inch long plaque in my school's lobby, opposed to the student athletes who will have their name, and sometimes even their picture, plastered along the gymnasium walls and in a display case for years to come.

Before I get too ahead of myself, let it be known that I am also a student athlete. I'm not here to preach against sports, or even against the recognition of students participating in them.

All I'm saying is that it seems a bit odd that in a school, a place intended for learning and academic achievement, athletes are sometimes glorified and seem to get more attention than successful students.

Sports definitely require motivation, hours of handwork, and a whole lot of dedication, but so does school. Most people with good grades will tell you that things don't always just make sense to them.

Sure, some people are born with a niche in a certain subject, but that doesn't change the fact that studying and actually trying in class is what gets you ahead in the game. Academics and sports undoubtedly have one thing in common: natural ability will only get you so far, the rest comes from how much time you're actually willing to put in.

As I mentioned before, an athletic program truly is important to have in schools because it can often times be the motivation needed by some students to get good grades, but when a school's athletic program is being given more support than their academic program, that's when you know things have gone too far.

There are numerous schools that actually do have a main focus on a student's academic ability, but on the other hand, it absolutely blows my mind that there are students with great grades who want to further their education and don't receive a single scholarship, but then, you turn around and see a student barely sliding by with low C's getting a full ride to college because they know how to throw a ball.

Whether you're talking about high school or college, so many schools throughout the country care more about athletic ability than academic ability, which just isn't right.

School is supposed to be about learning and understanding new things, not about which school can win a game. Sports and clubs are extremely important, but no one can try to tell me that they matter more than an actual education.