Criteria listed below will be used to determine the valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior high school(s) of the Marcus Whitman Central School District.

1)     An eligible student must attend the Marcus Whitman Central School District for a minimum of three (3) full academic years, prior to graduation, from grades 9 through 12.

2)       Student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of graduation.

3)     Only the average of grades earned in the Marcus Whitman Central School District through the third quarter of the senior year will be used to select the final candidate. If such final candidates are enrolled in Advanced Placement and/or Honors courses during their senior year, the additional points granted for such courses will be included in the calculation of the class rank provided the students remain enrolled in such class or classes for the entire school year. (Course credits earned in other high schools, in summer schools other than those conducted by Marcus Whitman Central School District, and post high school college credits will not be used in determining the final selection of a valedictorian or salutatorian.)

4)       The valedictorian and salutatorian will be afforded the opportunity to speak at commencement.

This does not eliminate other students as determined by the school administration from speaking

at commencement (i.e., senior class president, president of student association, etc.).

5)       Students eligible for graduation at the end of their junior year can qualify under the above criteria. In addition to being eligible as valedictorian and salutatorian, the student graduating at the end of his/her junior year will be permitted to participate inall other senior activities, i.e. prom, inclusion in the yearbook, social functions, etc. Itis important to note that the student who opts for graduation at the end of the junior year must fulfill all other requirements of Board of Education policy dealing with early graduation including the determination of the student's status in the year preceding the junior year.