Starting next year, the Scholar’s Diploma, a special award for seniors who complete a certain amount of academic requirements before they graduate, is no longer going to be offered.

In previous years, incoming freshmen have been given the option of choosing to follow this track for driven academic students. This meant that over their four years, they would have to take at least four AP classes and three honors courses. However, starting with the freshman class of 2020, the Scholar’s Diploma will cease to be an option for high schoolers.

“Since colleges don’t recognize it, and the only award is a couple additions to your typical cap and gown at graduation, the diploma really just causes unnecessary stress for a lack of real reward,” said Noah Brink, assistant head of school – academics.

Whether or not they were striving for the achievement, the diploma set a goal for many students and pushed them to go above and beyond. However, the school wants this effort to be for a more valuable purpose.

“We want our students to work hard, but we want it to be for a reward that is worth the extra effort, rather than a superficial title that has little merit outside of Westminster,” said Brink.

For current upper school students who have already dedicated time to acheiving the diploma, the distinction will still be in effect. If a student has put in the effort to meet all the requirements, he or she will still receive the scholar’s diploma upon graduation.

“We didn’t want to take away the reward for the students who have already put in the work and have planned their class schedules around the diploma,” said Brink. Therefore, the last grade to have the option of receiving the award is the class of 2019.

In place of the Scholar’s Diploma, the administration is working on new forms of academic distinction for the future. For instance, in the next couple years, the school is looking to phase in a new extracurricular reading program called the “Westminster 100,” where students would have a set book list that they would read outside of the classroom. This would offer cultural immersion and teacher mentorship for students who are looking to take the next academic step.

The goal for the administration is to give students the initiative to put in effort for rewards and achievements that are worth their time, while also studying subjects they love and are interested in, creating a less stressful environment for the student body.