P'burg student wins honorable compromise Friday, May 26, 2006 • By SARAH CASSI • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | High school senior Caitlin MacIntyre has worked hard during her time at Phillipsburg High School. She's taken honor classes all four years and AP classes for college credit during the last two. She's balanced rigorous class work with an after-school job and has volunteered. MacIntyre worked hard enough to rank third in her graduating class and looked forward to sitting with the rest of her honor brethren at next month's ceremony. Then she heard the tradition of honor graduates sitting as a group in the front would not happen this year. "I was so upset because I had given so much in order to attain academic excellence," MacIntyre said. "I felt I worked this hard that I deserve special recognition on my special day." MacIntyre and other students approached school administrators. Eventually students were told honor graduates would be seated in the front, but alphabetically instead of by class rank as in previous years. Instead of following the valedictorian and salutatorian, MacIntyre will be somewhere in the middle of that first group. "Personally, I would like it with the ranking, but I feel it is a reasonable compromise," MacIntyre said. Director of Secondary Education George Chando said school administrators review graduation procedures every year. This year officials decided against dividing students by their high honor status. "It's designating equal status to any student with honor status," Chando said, noting that honor graduates will still wear the traditional honor tassels and sashes. Chando said Principal Mary Jane Deutsch spoke with honor graduates last week. "They were very receptive," Chando said. MacIntyre said she's concerned that officials are moving away from recognizing honor students and that affected students have been left out of the process. "I felt hurt because it was just told to us. We're old enough, we should be able to have a say in our graduation," MacIntyre said. "We feel a little bit like no one cares what we think." MacIntyre is looking forward to entering Rice University in Houston this fall and is considering a major in psychology. "It's sad that one of my last memories is fighting with the administration about this," MacIntyre said. Reporter Sarah Cassi can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at scassi@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.