On Friday morning December 9, Kenwood hosted their first quarter honor roll celebration. 100 more students than last year were invited to attend the first quarter celebration.

To get on to honor roll students have a 3.7 GPA for the marking period which means students must earn As and Bs in all their classes with only room for one C on their report card. Those who earn the grades earn the rewards. Mr. Powell shares, “For those who make honor roll we have an assembly where we give rewards such as certificates, board games, and Chick fila gift cards. Students seem to enjoy these rewards.”

With the increase in students making honor roll some are wondering if the new cell policy is a contributing factor to that increase in more students succeeding. Students must put their phones in envelops throughout each period and are allowed a few breaks throughout the class period. Mr Powell adds, “The new cell phone policy has students more focused and not as distracted while learning, leading to an increase in grades from last year.”

For some students it may be their first time on honor roll and for others it’s a recurring goal quarter after quarter. Different things motivate different students to strive for that recognition of honor roll. For Khalime Truel he says, “Playing sports and being a student athlete, you need to keep good grades while playing sports. The hardest part is staying on top of the work and not having any missing assignments.”

For other students like Anthony Jennings, it’s his parents’ support and expectations that keep him striving for the honor roll quarter after quarter. He adds, “It’s a lot of work to do to maintain good grades in all my classes but my parents expect me to be on the honor roll each quarter.”

Making Honor Roll is an important achievement for students because it builds up a student’s character. It shows students that with hard work comes great rewards. There’s still time to get on honor roll for second quarter. The second quarter ends January 17 so in these final weeks be sure to get your work in and those grades so you can attend the next Honor Roll celebration.