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HONOR
SOCIETIES:
MCKINLEY
HIGH'S
PLAN
551
membership in the society. The person have tended neither to pick decided extrowhom the pupil considers most worthy of verts nor classmates who are just good-lookelection is rated 1, the person next deserving ing and "classy" dressers. These are the
is rated 2, etc. In making their decisions practices which Mr. Lynch rightly conpupils are asked to give particular consid- demns. In general pupil ratings have coreration to character, leadership, and service. related very well with the scholarship ratThese pupil ratings are also averaged for ings for the candidates. The committee in
each candidate.
charge has frequently commented that puIf the pupils select 15 candidates from pils recognize real ability instead of picking
the 12A class, each candidate is ranked 1 "flashy" individuals.
Honor societies should not be condemned
through 15 in scholarship, 1 through 15 in
because
some mistakes are made in the elecleadership. Similar ratings are made for
service and character. The pupil rankings tion of members. Members should definitely
are used in the same manner.
not be chosen according to the practices
The totals are determined as follows: Roy listed by Mr. Lynch. There can be no posJones ranks 3 in scholarship, 4 in character, sible excuse for not electing pupils in the
2 in leadership, 5 in service, and 2 is his
upper 5 or to per cent of the class scholaspupil ranking. His total rating is therefore tically, who have contributed as much to
listed as the sum of his rankings, or 16. If 5 their school as his examples would indicate.
people can be selected for membership, the The persons selecting the members must
5 pupils receiving the smallest totals are surely realize that there are forms of leaderthe ones chosen.
ship and service to the school which are not
Although the system has not worked per- necessarily of the noisy kind. If some schools
fectly, in general it has overcome the bad follow practices such as Mr. Lynch notes,
practices noted in Mr. Lynch's article. new methods of election should be inauguWhile teachers are not immune to mistakes rated. In addition to scholarship, the only
in grading, and while they are seriously in- other traits considered should be character,
fluenced in their judgments by personality leadership, and service. Some objective systraits, the average of the estimates of all tem of rating should be used to make sure
teachers who know a pupil tends to mini- that "flashy" individuals do not obtain too
mize errors.
much recognition. Then, and only then,
The ratings of the members of the gradu- can the practices noted by Mr. Lynch be
ating class have been interesting. Pupils avoided.