Something I’ve never heard of before I came to Hoover, was that senior students with a 4.0 and above receive the honor of graduating in white, leaving those who didn’t reach the achievement to walk in red. While I encourage and support those with the accomplishment to graduate with straight A’s, I think it’s unfair to those that maybe couldn’t reach that same goal to graduate in white.

In all honesty, only allowing 4.0 students to graduate in white from how I see it, is a form of segregation. It is like saying those students in white are better than everyone else, and deserve to stand out while others stay less important than them. And while these students with a 4.0 and above are exceptional in obtaining outstanding grades, every student in the ceremony made it to graduation, so it’s not like students without the straight A’s didn’t accomplish a huge milestone already. From what I’m aware of, any other school allows their intellectual students to graduate with the same colors as their peers but with a gold ribbon draped along their gown to symbolize their academic fulfillment, without being completely set apart from the class.

I do agree with awarding A1 students with a special token for their efforts in the gradational ceremony, however, standing out that much compared to the others is a discourteous act and unfair for those not allowed to walk in white. I would hate working so hard throughout the year to receive the privilege of graduating in a white gown, but not be able to if my GPA came out to be a 3.8. Not to mention other students might feel discouraged when walking in red instead of white, when they as well have reached a huge achievement but are getting the feeling of being obscure.

I do support rewarding excellent scholars, but I also feel like equality should play a big role in school events. The separation of gown colors should be by male to female or indifferent, so we could ensure nobody feels left out and so that not only a group of students is in the spotlight. As for the exceptional students that should feel special for leaving high school with a 4.0 or higher, having a nice golden ribbon along or an alternative embellishment, with the gown will symbolize their outstanding achievement while maintaining unity and equally through the graduating class. Well maybe I should inspire to graduate in white when my time comes, who knows, maybe my opinion will change.