A Texas high school forbids overachieving students from wearing National Honor Society stoles at graduation because officials fear it might alienate other kids.
The principal at Plano Senior High School in Plano confirmed on Tuesday for a local ABC affiliate that NHS insignia is prohibited at its June 9 ceremony. The prestigious distinction is allowed at other schools in the area.
Students who qualify to wear the special stole have a GPA of 3.6 or higher and were heavily involved with community service projects.
“I’m not just an honor student — I’m an NHS student. I worked hard,” senior Garrett Frederick told the station. “I put in the hours.”
Mr. Frederick, who plans to attend the University of South Carolina, completed 20 hours of community service every semester.
“It’s kind of a national thing that’s recognized, so I don’t know why just Plano can’t recognize it,” the high-school standout said.
“They deserve it,” added Mr. Frederick’s mother, KellyAnn. “They worked so hard for it. If you choose not to work that hard, then that’s OK! I wasn’t an NHS kid. I didn’t wear the NHS stole when I graduated. But friends of mine did, and I was OK!”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.