Student of the Year process needs student input

By Allie Campbell
Staff Writer

With a student body as diverse and accomplished as that of Mira Costa, it is difficult to select a senior to be awarded Student of the Year.

For several years, Mira Costa has used a selection system that ensures that all Student of the Year nominees are extremely accomplished and worthy of their nomination. However, this process allows only teachers and administrators to vote, eliminating the unique perspective that seniors have on their classmates and putting candidates without strong teacher relationships at a disadvantage.

To select Student of the Year the senior class is first narrowed down academically to the top 10 percent based on unweighted grade point average. Every teacher then votes for three students from the top 10 percent. These votes determine the five or six nominees.

The Student of the Year must represent the very best of the senior class and should, therefore, be well-perceived by his or her peers. Teachers do not necessarily know what a student is like outside of the classroom, and, therefore, students should have a voice in selecting the student who will receive this honor.
When teachers select the nominees, certain students benefit more than others. There are many students who may be smart, qualified class leaders, but do not connect well with teachers, and, therefore, will not be nominated. On the contrary, there are some students who connect well with teachers, while their classmates do not hold them in high regard.

Obviously, students cannot possess too much power in selecting the Student of the Year. After all, this is an award given for good character and academic excellence. Student of the Year is nothing like Prom king; with too much student input, it could turn into a popularity contest.

However, if every senior was given a ballot to vote for the top 10 percent of academic students like the teachers do, this would ensure that students select the top of their class to be nominated. Then, if the teachers’ votes decided the first four nominees, and the students decided the remaining two, the student body would be given a say without having too much power.

In the current system, once the nominees are announced, each nominee is asked to fill out a brief questionnaire about their accomplishments and philosophies in addition to turning in a brag sheet.
These two documents as well as the nominee’s transcript, GPA, extracurricular activities, school involvement, number of AP classes taken, integrity and character are discussed and evaluated before the final decision is made.

To finally select the student of the year, representatives from each department come to the final meeting prepared to advocate for their candidate. There is often much debate and discussion about each nominee before the council comes to a final vote and decision.

It would be inappropriate for students to be involved in the final selection of student of the year, because many do not have the maturity to make this selection. However, by being allowed to select several nominees, the senior class will already have improved the selection process. The reformed process would produce more qualified nominees.

With nominees chosen by both students and teachers, a more diverse group of students will be nominated. These nominees could produce a completely different and deserving Student of the Year from one selected exclusively by teachers.