On Monday, May 18, Bellarmine students, teachers, staff, and parents gathered in the Booster Gym to acknowledge, recognize, and congratulate excelling students. The annual Academic Awards Assembly was an exciting morning for the award and scholarship winners, but a discouraging one for some.
This led to the question: How do students react to their peers getting awards when they don’t? What is their opinion? Is it fair? Everyone works hard. Bellarmine students are all talented in various ways. Each person is loved and valued. But, very few are selected and awarded.
When asked if they feel they have “done enough” in high school, one freshman, Autumn Spence, said, “For my first year here, I feel good about what I accomplished.”
Sophomore Irene Armanious said, “I got recognized for service. I put a lot of time into that, so it was really meaningful to get recognition for it.” Armanious received the 110% award for her outstanding dedication to school and co-corriculars.
Another sophomore, Garrett Sullivan, also a winner of the 110% award, simply stated, “I feel good about what I have done in high school.”
Junior Ezra Mungai said he feels encouraged when he sees other people getting awards. Overall, Bellarmine students are proud of their accomplishments, the hard work they have put in, and the positive energy around the room.
There has been talk that maybe regulation is necessary since some students are given more than one award. But they deserve it, right?
Freshman Amelia Mancuso said, “I think they should limit it, so everyone has a chance to get something because some people might do the same amount [of work] as someone else, but they don’t get the award.”
Mungai said that the students who have worked their hardest deserve it.
When reflecting on the awards assembly, many students at Bellarmine put in hard work every single day, but only a few are recognized for their achievements publicly. While some students are encouraged by their peers’ recognition, others feel that the number of awards students receive should be limited so that achievements are more equally recognized.
