Can you imagine a graduation without a speech from the valedictorian? What if GPA wasn't the most important thing in high school anymore?

It's happening in many school districts across the country, including one near my hometown.

I recently saw an article in my local newspaper that took me by surprise: "Class rank, naming of valedictorian to end in Virginia Beach." Class rank will be replaced by Latin honors, which is used by most U.S. colleges today.

Many students and parents applauded this policy, but many others believed it was unfair to the students who earned their spots at the top of the class. The students who do the best deserve to be recognized, right?

Yes, of course. I don't have a problem with recognizing success.

The class rank system isn't that great at measuring academic success, though.

The problem with the class rank system is that it gives certain students advantages from the start, even if they are not the most successful.

I graduated in 2017 from a medium-sized high school. All of the students at the top of my class had something in common: they were all students in advanced programs.

Nothing is wrong with being in advanced programs or courses. I've been in advanced classes for most of my life. The issue here is that class rank loses its meaning when students in these programs are the only ones who have a chance at being recognized.

It doesn't matter how well other students do in their classes. Students in advanced courses or programs will often have the higher GPA, even if they don't get straight A's.

At my school, the unspoken rule is that if your GPA isn't above 4.0, you can forget about being in the top 10...or even 15.

I was a part of the IB Program at my high school. It is considered an academy, or "a school within a school." All of our courses are weighted and are taught at a college level. With that advantage, students who take one or two AP courses have virtually no chance of being at the top of the class.

Think of "weighted" courses as a GPA boost. Students are given a "GPA boost" in difficult courses as long as they pass the course. Students who don't do well in one or two classes can still get a GPA above 4.0.

The Virginia Beach School Board believes that the "GPA boost" that students in academies get is the biggest flaw in the class rank system: "Anyone in an academy has a dramatically better chance to earn the best GPA, because those classes are weighted. That means non-academy students who earn all A’s in tough courses won’t necessarily be near the top of their class."

I'm a pretty good example of the flaws of the class rank system.

I graduated 10th in my class and with a 4.8 GPA. I worked hard for my GPA and definitely view it as an achievement. People see my GPA and assume that I got straight A's throughout my entire high school career. This is simply not true.

Despite my impressive GPA, my grades weren't always stellar. I only had two As during my sophomore year. I got a C+ in Algebra II. My overall GPA was relatively unaffected because my courses were weighted so heavily.

Students in "regular" classes don't even have the ladder to climb to the top. Having a 4.0 may not even put them in the top 10%. Why isn't the student taking so-called "regular" courses and getting straight As not recognized for their hard work?

This is where the Latin honors system comes in. Virginia Beach's system will be as follows:

3.0-3.49 GPA: Honor graduate

3.5-3.75 GPA: Cum laude

3.76-3.99 GPA: Magna cum laude

4.0+ GPA: Summa cum laude

So, with this system, that student who worked hard and got straight A's throughout his or her high school career in "regular" courses will be recognized. Graduating summa cum laude, regardless of what classes you took in high school, is an outstanding achievement.

There is one part of the new policy that I do not agree with, though. I don't think naming the valedictorian is harmful.

I know there is a lot of pressure to be the valedictorian, but that doesn't mean the student who has the highest GPA shouldn't be recognized. Many valedictorians get A's in almost all of their higher-level courses, and they should be recognized for that.

Crowning valedictorians may be excessive, yes, but what's the harm in naming them?

If schools stop focusing on class rank and more on Latin honors, being valedictorian would be more of an extra accolade than a lifelong goal.

The main problem, I think, is relying on rank to tell the whole story.

Latin honors eliminate that problem. More students who deserve recognition can get recognized. Those at the very top are given an extra distinction.

I am curious to see how successful this system will be in boosting morale and if it will eventually be adopted in my city. Despite the controversy surrounding the Virginia Beach School Board's decision, I think we are moving in the right direction!