Reward for hard work: distinguished school is no joke

By Ryan Reynolds

Many of you may have asked yourselves over the past few weeks what exactly makes us a “Distinguished School”? All you may have heard is that our STAR testing scores raising and the administration filling out a lot of paperwork got us an award that says we are a good high school, but you are probably wondering if the award actually has any value other than a hearty congratulations from the District Superintendent.

After researching the selection process according to the California Board of Education and looking at the rigorous standards for becoming a Distinguished School I have determined this award was the achievement of the student body delivering its best work. All the administration did was fill out some forms, sign a few papers, and give a good impression to our reviewers, but hey, that’s why we have them around right? The award requires proper adherence to the No Child Left Behind Act, an increase in our API Scores, which is what STAR tests are, and a Adequate Yearly Progress meaning that we are better academically than years previous. Only about five percent of middle and high schools in California receive this award every two years. In all of Alameda County this year, only two other high schools besides Washington received this honor: Castro Valley High, and Oakland School for the Arts.

This award looks excellent to colleges as it is almost like being an accredited high school much like colleges get accredited for their degree programs. Also, for those who are going to junior college and think this doesn’t matter to you, it still does. When submitting your résumé or filling out a job application you can include that the high school you graduated from was a “2009 Distinguished School” and that will look a lot better to a potential employer as far as where you received your diploma giving you an advantage over someone with the same qualifications who did not graduate from a distinguished school. This award opens opportunities to everyone who, has or, will graduate from Washington High School. This accomplishment is the result of tremendous effort put out by every student and we should all be proud of what we have achieved.