Said it all that so few of the faculty showed up, so many of the students being honored didn't show up, and such a small portion of the students and families from the whole class attended. Could the principal have said any less? What a pathetic presence. The head of guidance reading a form letter from Obama, seriously? That's the best this faculty could come up with? What a sad thing for a class of students who deserved better, much better.
This is a school that has seen 5 principals (Burke, Brow, Dillon, Richards, Farrell) since 2007. Anyone who dares call that a "normal" state of affairs, as did one SC member on her blog, should be ashamed. These students have been made to bear the brunt of bad policies and bad HR practices for much of their education in Melrose, culminating in a poorly run occasion such as was the case Monday night, an occasion that should have been only joyful but was anything but. In fact it was a farce, and not a funny or clever one, just pathetic. The faculty choices for the "prestigious" awards (just that that word was chosen demonstrated the tacky and insensitive thought process) revealed a culture that no longer rewards the best values, for the most part (there were a few utterly worthy candidates honored), but has turned students into the political footballs of unworthy administrators and teachers who obviously don't even understand what decent values should be upheld.
Interesting to note that one of the most deservedly honored (academically) students of the evening, a quiet, soft-spoken, brilliant, hard-working and highly achieving young woman, was a student deemed not worthy (by clearly unworthy faculty) for the now bogus "honor" of membership in the Melrose branch of the National Honor Society in its continuing disgraced state.
Going to Commencement will be another test of endurance, knowing the hypocrisy and disgusting things going on at our school. Necessary to honor my/our kids, but feel so sorry for them. They deserve so much better.
Agree on all points, unfortunately. It was also disheartening (disgusting, actually) to see the felon/PTOPrezElect serving Doritos at the refreshment table. Saw lots of the families book it out the back door and escape before the "reception."
This event should have been festive and beautiful. They didn't even print enough programs. Guess they didn't expect much of a showing, which is even more pathetic. There was no music, no flowers (or didn't see any), no real ceremony or fun, nothing but that pathetic thing on the video display screen.
When kids and families and staff members feel empowered, united and proud of their school and their accomplishments, there is usually a preponderance of ideas, whimsy and energy for all sorts of things that make the occasion special and joyful. Nothing of the sort in evidence Monday night.
Wellesley High School English teacher, David McCullough Jr. said it best in his frank and oft-repeated 2012 commencement address: "You see, if everyone is special,. then no one is. If everyone gets trophies, trophies become meangless.
...“We Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. We have come to see them as the point—and we’re happy to compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totem pole. No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it… Now it’s “So what does this get me?” As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors."
He also points out that the students have become, "Showpieces in an arms race to impress admissions officers."
It was grim and embarrassing. It should be canned for all future years unless they get their act together. It was so obvious that many on the stage wanted to be anywhere but where they were, especially with each embarrassing rush to the podium by those who are the perpetual glory hounds (promoted at every step by the administration).
Many who deserved recognition got none--like all of the student government, who should have been acknowledged. It was disrespectful that they didn't get even a stand-up as a group. In previous years the kids who served 1000 or more hours of community service were honored, as they should be. They weren't Monday night. So what if someone took 4 years of a language? But giving your time year in and year out to help others should have been recognized more than that pathetic little display talking about the 300 hour kids, meaning no disrespect to those kids.
Standing all those kids up for that silly presidential thing was ridiculous because it made it obvious how unspecial it was, in spite of the over the top reading of the form letter by Buxton, who leads the charge when it comes to having no class.
Two department chairs (English and Science) didn't even show up. Superintendent never showed her face, nor either of the assistant superintendents. That is disgraceful. They should have been there, like they always were with even the dufus administration before (at least HE (dufus) was always present, greeting people at the door and showing the flag for the community, think what you will about him). Maybe the principal didn't invite the faculty. Based on her poor etiquette for so many other things, nothing would be surprising. This administration has not an ounce of class.
OMG. The president-elect of the PTO was allowed to serve Doritos at awards night??? What a complete travesty of justice. How could the PTO board allocate such an awesome responsibility to this person. This is completely insane and out of control. I am so grateful for melrosemessages to give us all a place to expose these actions. I heard that they Mayor himself put this guy in charge of Doritos. The gossip around city hall was that some were pushing for allowing this guy to serve the soft drinks but the Mayor thought Doritos would be the less controversial choice. Keep it up Melrosemessages; you are making Melrose a better place...one non-issue at a time.
Were you born a jackwagon, or did you have to work at it?
An absolutely typical response to any criticism. I guess it's obvious where your loyalties lie.
Thanks, "Please." The jackwagon is probably the guy's newest squeeze. If so, "Scandal" is quite the malicious whackjob herself, a veritable front-end loader when it comes to shoving her way around for the sake of garnering her underclass darling all the undeserved perks/status positions that her influence can buy. Scandal indeed!
Can't ya just picture these idiots showing up at the awards event, with clip boards in hand and walking around checking off all the things they think are wrong?
wow.
Oh sure, go ahead and mock people who at least demonstrate caring with your cheesy "too funny" commentary. When it's your kid someday that is being brutalized in a lousy school system that actually rewards atrocious conduct and renders invisible good works and good people, then maybe you might care for five minutes, before you retreat into the typical cynical apathy around here.
This stuff just cannot be made up. “Eyes” do you really associate the president of the PTO as a “status position”?
Be that as it may, one has to laugh at “parent” trying to make the point that posting an anonymous message on this board is a way to “demonstrate caring.” Is that a serious post? Is this how you demonstrate caring for your kid? Do you sit your kid down in front of your iPad and show them all of the anonymous posts you made and then say “see, how much I care for you honey?”
Too funny.
Every year, students and their families don't show up for their awards because they have NO idea they are getting one. The invitation doesn't mention that the recipient is getting an award, it's just a general invitation. The administrators haven't figured this out in all the years my kids have been at MHS. Unless someone with older children TELLS you that the invitation is not just junk mail, and that it probably means your kid is getting an award, you would have no way of knowing.
Then again, some kids get the invitation, think they will be getting an award, show up, and find out that they are not getting any award, just a "recognition" for taking four years of language. None of these kids would have voluntarily come down to sit for hours on a stage to get a piece of paper after the ceremony that says "You completed four years of language". It's insane to do this to students, they don't need to attend awards night for this.
The awards ceremony should be limited to those kids getting awards, and the administrators need to specify on the invite that the parents are getting it because their student is being honored. That would go a long way toward improving awards night....it's not rocket science, but apparently no one at the high school has figured this out yet.
NOT one more cent..... THANK God my kids are out of the public school system.... No on the override... Anyone who still has kids in the system save your pennies for private school:....and vote no on the override....
Parent,
Brutalized? Are you kidding us?
LOL !!!!!
"Too funny" and "Scandal" reflect the toxicity that now invades everything here (maybe it's what is killing the bees, too!). The "status" positions referred to are those given to the chronically selected students--site council, school committee rep (no coincidence when the super's secretary got her daughters appointed, for example), MAAV, substance abuse league, etc. Lots of glory hounds amongst those students and certainly amongst some of those parents.
Few will care about the PTO except the felon who forced himself on the organization. How that came about reflects on the worst of the community, but Monday night was not about that guy.
The posts about the event are accurate, and it's really unfortunate. All students and families of seniors should be invited, regardless of whether they are getting an award. In other schools this is an evening to celebrate the class, as a whole, and for all, including classmates, to express pride in the accomplishments of those who reached highest and gave the most. It would be terribly wrong to have an exclusive event only for those getting awards, but that's how it's evolving under this demoralizing vacuum of leadership and heart. There is a gracious way to honor the prize-getters without diminishing the value of all the rest and without cheapening the awards by making them more widespread. Time for Melrose to relearn some basic good manners!
In years past Mr. Sav and Mrs. C always worked so hard to make the evening warm, welcoming, and with plenty that was light-hearted and always good-spirited. Even with all the changes in principals and other administrators, those two brought it all together around the focus of the kids, which was as it should be. No doubt there are still many who worked hard for Monday's event. But the way it played out Monday, the evening was almost devoid of warmth (thankfully everyone rose to honor the Gilbert child), and as has become the case with nearly everything Melrose Schools, completely humorless. In short, the soul of the place is by and large missing, or at least ailing. Melrosians are better than this. When everyone stood up to honor the child who lost a parent, this was the real heart and soul of the best of Melrose. Most of the rest of it was poorly done and came off as shallow, even if it wasn't intended that way.
As a parent who attended, students who complete fours years of a language.... Good.. For a student who completed four years of two languages.....awesome and they should be recognized. Some of the awards were unnecessary. However we were told if you got an invite your student would be recognized for whatever reason. Some could have been done at a sports banquet. It definitely needs some overhaul and the whole senior night could be revamped. The majority of students receiving an "award" were there but certainly some were not. It was an "interesting" night and in the end only 1.5 hours out of their/our life.
No, "The majority of students receiving an "award" were" NOT there (we counted, also, and there were many missing students, and for some awards, almost the entire group of awardees was absent). No top administrators were there. Very few of the staff at all was there. The "speeches" and presentations were lackluster at best and just plain wrong at worst.
FYI, we noticed a prominent absence, with a couple of exceptions, of any cultural diversity among the leadership appointments or awardees. Even for Melrose which has little diversity this was notable.
A previous poster is correct. It was a grim, humorless, graceless, joyless waste of time, not a festive celebration for the entire senior class and their families, as it should have been.
Are there more important things? Sure. But these rites of passage are supposed to help everyone, especially the kids, go through a momentous transition and mark it with the kind of happy recognition that reinforces a community's best values and point the way for future classes. This one pointed to the systemic dysfunction that now marks the entire school system. A real shame. We basically forced our kid to go and now regret it.
Next year do it in a school assembly. Keep the parents out of it. It is clear from this string that parents are the problem. Its shameful to see posts like "bottom line" attacking high school students. Keep the parents out. Problem solved.
I 2nd that.
Right. That's just what this system needs - even less parental involvement that there is now. On the one hand, the jargon spouting fools contend that the behavior of the little darlings is due to lack of parent oversight, and on the other hand fools like you say less parent involvement is the answer.
No, there is more parental involvement required...AT HOME! Leave the education to the educators; you know, just like it was when most of us grew up. How many of you think your parents would have been whining on an anonymous message board if your own high school awards banquet was not what you thought it should be? Think about it!