Remember When School Honor Rolls Were Published?

From the January 15, 1972 Journal

Do newspapers still publish school honor rolls?

I’m not sure. I don’t even know if school systems such as Lorain even generate them any more. But they did back in the 1970s, and in our family it was a big deal to make the honor roll and see your name in the paper. 

For me, there were several levels of motivation beyond having my name in the Journal. The goal of going to college was driven into me at an early age. My understanding was that if I got good enough grades, I could get a good scholarship so that my parents wouldn’t have to pay for my college education. (Boy was I wrong!)

Thus I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. 

My teachers back then were terrific, and really took a personal interest in their students’ growth and development. They constantly encouraged us to do our best. I didn’t want to disappoint them either.

Then there was the spirit of competition. My classes at Masson were full of very smart kids, and from elementary school on, we were competing with each other. That contributed to the pressure to do well.  

By the time we were all in Masson Junior High, there were even more smart kids (some entering the public school system from Lorain parochial schools). So there was even more competition.

Lastly, there were the incentives offered by companies such as the Cleveland Press (awarding free Indians tickets for all A’s) and Manners (giving you a free Big Boy for all A’s).

So I didn’t lack for motivation to try and make the honor roll.

Anyway, above is the Honor Roll for Masson Junior High that appeared in the Journal back on January 15, 1972. Both my older brother Ken and I made it, so I’m sure we clipped this out of the newspaper back then.

I know that Lorain no longer has junior high schools; they embraced the middle school concept a long time ago. But in this era of trying to motivate kids, perhaps reviving the publication of honor rolls – either in the newspapers, or online or both – might be one more factor to consider.