National Honor Society? Terminated. Musical roles? Double booked. Honor roll? Nonexistent. In the name of inclusivity, University Prep has taken away opportunities earned by hardworking students, forcing them to share their achievements to cushion others’ egos. 

During my time at UPrep, the school has always had systems set in place to avoid nurturing an environment of unhealthy competition among students. I can’t remember a time when we had an honor roll or valedictorian title. 

To cease all programs that exist to reward the work done by deserving students is harmful to the school’s student body in the long run.

For students like me, awards and exclusive programs such as the National Honor Society oftentimes serve as goals that we set to ensure that we do our best work and put forward our best selves every day at school. 

Without these things to look forward to, the line between what is expected of me and what it means to go above and beyond starts to blur. I used to have several sources of motivation, but now it is like I only have one: college.

The way our school shields its students from anything that possibly causes them to compare themselves to their peers is detrimental. 

As students leave this sheltered and tight-knit community to attend universities and take on jobs, it is unavoidable that they will come across instances where they do not feel equal to their peers or colleagues. Whether it be their understanding of a curriculum or their ability to complete tasks, there might be people who are able to do it better than them. That is simply the reality of being a human being who is constantly learning and taking on new responsibilities. 

To better prepare its students for the real world that they will face after graduation, UPrep needs to normalize both success and failure. With some changes, we can achieve that. By bringing back things like the National Honor Society, and holding musical auditions where only the best actor lands the big role, we can produce a student body that welcomes failure in return for improvement.