To the editor:

This concerns the decision by the Bainbridge Island School District to no longer publish names on the honor roll due to the belief that it is causing undue stress on students.

First, I want to dispute Mr. Hanacek’s “F” grade to Superintendent Peter Bang-Knudsen. Mr. Bang-Knudsen has to be conscientious of the concerns of every parent, and if it is causing students undue stress then he has to take actions regardless of whether or not he thinks the complaints are justified.

Having your name published in the newspaper because you are on the honor roll is little more than an act of vanity. In the long run, no one is going to remember or care whose name was on the honor roll.

With that in mind, I want to address those students who may be feeling stress or pressure to be on the honor roll. Let me assure you the bad news, we are not created equal. We have equal dignity as individuals, but that is theological. In the secular realm, some will be successful and some will not and your success in school, or lack thereof, will have little impact. What will matter is what talents you have, whether those talents are marketable and whether you have the skills to exploit them. I don’t know what high school is like now, but 30 years ago, high school was a terrible predictor of success.

How do I know this? The next time you are in the BHS library look for a plaque that has the winners of the “Faculty Awards” and look under 1986. You will find my name. I was a serious student and voted most studious and graduated 23rd out of a class of 250. Where am I now? On SSDI living in a low-income apartment holding a part-time job where women who are under 30 do jobs that I cannot do because I haven’t the skill to succeed at it. I have held several jobs and never succeeded in any of them. The successful student failed.

My advice is to not worry about grades but to concentrate on developing your potential.

FRANCIS JACOBSON

Bainbridge Island