Sometimes it seems that all the glory of a high school goes to its sports teams. Athletes are decorated with awards and commended for their achievements on the field. All that the average student can do is clap for their peers and wonder when it will be their turn to be rewarded.

If you stop and think about it, most high school social activities revolve around sports- pep rallies, football games. Athletes are built up, at times nearly to the point of godhood. It can seem, especially during playoff season, that the entire purpose of high school revolves around sports.

High school is not about sports. Students go to school to learn. Sports, and all other extracurricular activities, are just that- extracurriculars.

This is not to say that athletes do not deserve any recognition- they most definitely do. But, maybe all the glory should be spread around a little. When is the last time we had a pep rally celebrating the achievements of the band? How many students actually attend their peers? drama performances? Did anyone show up to cheer on the Academic Decathlon team?

Maybe our priorities need to be revaluated.

Focus needs to come back to the reason we are here, at school: to learn. Why don?t we try celebrating the academically high-achieving students on campus? The Academic Decathlon assembly we had was a good start, but we should do more.

In the same way, non-athletic teams and clubs deserve more recognition. How about a fine arts assembly where the campus music groups get to perform? Why don?t we promote students who labor on the yearbook and newspaper staffs? It seems like these students, because they are not athletes, go through their entire high school career without even receiving even a smattering of applause from their peers.

There is enough glory here for everyone in high school- why don?t we try spreading it around?