BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL
MERIT CORD AWARDS (ENHANCED DIPLOMA)
REQUIRMENTS
Brighton High School has a large and diverse student body consisting of students with many differing talents and abilities. The purpose of the Merit Cord program is to encourage and challenge students as well as reward them for their many accomplishments while attending Brighton High School. As students look through the possible recognitions, hopefully they will find something that will inspire them to reach a little higher. Students are encouraged to fulfill the requirements of any or each of the following awards. All applications are available on line at bhs.canyonsdistrict.org, click on counseling center and then Merit Cord Awards.
I. ACADEMIC MERIT AWARD: The Academic Merit Award has the purpose of recognizing students who have chosen to substantially challenge themselves through the selection of Advanced Placement and Honors courses while maintaining a high degree of performance. The award is intended to encourage able students to test their boundaries in the five traditional academic areas of English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
II. ACTIVITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: The purpose of this award is to recognize students who have made a significant contribution to Brighton High School through a very high level of participation in a variety of high school activities. Only activities participated in while a student is at Brighton High apply to this award.
III. GOLDEN BENGAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CITIZENSHIP: The citizenship award honors students whose attendance and significant service to both the school and the community identifies them as outstanding Bengal citizens.
IV. DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS: These awards are sponsored, outlined, and evaluated through individual or combined school departments and are intended to motivate students to a high level of achievement and participation on a departmental basis.
RECOGNITIONS UNDER THE MERIT CORD AWARD
· Merit Cord Award Certificates will be awarded at a special academic awards night and reception for students and their parents.
· Colored cords representing the different areas may be purchased and worn on the students’ graduation robe.
· The graduation program will acknowledge all recipients.
REQUIREMENTS
I. ACADEMIC MERIT AWARD
Students earning the Academic Merit Award must meet the following standards:
· Four solids* during the ninth grade year
· Twenty-four trimesters of academic solids* in grades ten through twelve
· Sixteen trimesters of Honors or Advanced Placement classes from four of the five traditional academic areas
· A grade of a B or higher in each of the twelve academic solids during each grading period.
**Academic solids are defined as classes from the five traditional academic areas of Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. Classes qualifying for Honors by departments: ENGLISH: English 10H, 11H, 12H, AP English, English 1010. FOREIGN LANGUAGE: ASL 3, Chinese 3 or 4, French or Spanish designated 3H, 4H, 5HS or AP. MATH: Pre-Calculus, Math 1050 and 1060 or AP Statistics and AP Calculus AB &BC. Science: Medical Anatomy and Physiology, Physics 1040, Honors Physics, Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Biology. SOCIAL SCIENCE: World History Honors, AP European History, AP US History, AP Government and Politics. SUBSTITUTIONS: AP Art, AP Photo, or AP Music Theory may substitute for English, Foreign Language, or Social Studies.
II. ACTIVITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
CRITERIA
A student must earn a minimum of 200 points to receive this award. A student is eligible to receive this award when he/she has accumulated a total of 200 points. The following point values apply to each year of participation at BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL. Activities participated in prior to entering Brighton High School may not be counted toward this award.
POINTS ACTIVITY
50 per yr. Elected Student Body Officers
30 per yr. Elected Senior Class Officers
30 per yr. Appointed Student Body Officers
30 per yr. Varsity Cheerleaders
30 per yr. Editor-in-Chief of any school publication (Yearbook, Barb and Runes, etc.)
20 per yr. Junior Class Officers
10 per yr. Sophomore Class Officers
25 per yr. Sterling Scholar
25 per yr. Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, Band, Orchestra
25 per yr. Leads in Drama/School Productions
25 per yr. Dance Company
25 per yr. Stage Managers/Crews
20 per yr. WA and MA Officers
20 per yr. Varsity Sports member per sport*
15 per yr. Junior Varsity / Sophomore Sports member per sport*
(*a student can receive points for participating on either a J.V. team or Varsity team, but not the combined points for being on both teams in the same year.)
15 per yr. BHS Letter in any area (i.e. athletics, academics, drama, music, etc.)
15 per yr. Member of any team representing Brighton High in a competition (i.e. FBLA, FCCLA, HOSA, Skills USA, MUN, Drama, Academic Decathlon, etc.)
15 per yr. Officer in a Career Technology Club
10 per yr. Officer in a club or Team Captain of a sport
5 per yr. Active membership in a club or organization
150 per yr. Actively planning and organizing the Annual BHS Fund Raising Project under the direction of the elected Student Body Officers
A student cannot receive credit for being a member of a club and receive additional points for being an officer of the club. (A person is only eligible for the highest point value)
THE AWARDING OF POINTS NOT LISTED ABOVE IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE ACTIVITIES ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS COMMITTEE.
III. GOLDEN BENGAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CITIZENSHIP
Students may apply for this award by meeting these criteria at the end of the second trimester of their senior year.
· 95% daily school attendance in senior year (activity & vacation absences excluded).
· Five or fewer tardies during senior year.
· Go to the Attendance Office by April 1st and request a copy of your 12th grade attendance.
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IV. DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS
Merit Cord Awards may be earned in the following departments:
Art
Career and Technical Education
English
Math
Physical Education
Science
Social Studies
World Languages
Please see school website for a list of requirements and individual applications.