A Florida high school is abandoning its tradition of graduating top students in white robes after some deemed the practice inequitable.
In previous years, students who achieve the high ranks of earning a 4.0 or beyond have traditionally walked in a white robe, but the practice will now be disbanded at Leto High School.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, district spokeswoman Tanya Arja claimed that school leaders “want to be focused on equity at the school,” while placing an emphasis “on being a Falcon family,” referencing the Florida school’s mascot.
But some students are “heartbroken” by the change, including student Abel Urdaneta, who told The Times that he and his peers “have worked hard every single day so that we could graduate with honors and be celebrated on the day we walk across the stage.”
“For some of us, it has been the motivation for us to continue to apply ourselves in our academics,” he added, with classmate Jill Dowden adding that “the majority of us feel very betrayed and upset by this decision, and feel as if our hard work isn’t being properly recognized.”
Although Urdaneta and his peers have launched a petition in protest of the change, district leaders seem undeterred, mimicking the practices of school leaders around the country who have deserted similar traditions, such as honoring the valedictorians of a graduating class.
Such practices, though, encourage students to apply themselves, as Urdaneta rightly observed, despite how inequitable they may be perceived. There’s nothing prejudiced about being better at something than someone else.
Hard work deserves to be rewarded and recognized, especially among young people, just as bad marks should instill a sense of wanting to improve. Seeing peers and colleagues overcome obstacles and reach accomplishments can be an encouragement to work harder. Competition helps everyone become the best versions of themselves. Teaching students at a young age that hard work doesn’t pay off will not prepare them well for the world of work, where diligence is expected and failure is punished.
