Honors All Around (04-16-07)

In the dictionary, the word honor has many definitions. Depending on how the word is used, honor may refer to strong moral character or strength, as in “a matter of honor,” or it can refer to great respect and admiration, as in “we honored the excellent students.” It can also refer to personal dignity, someone’s good name, a source of pride, a mark of distinction, a great privilege, or an academic distinction. As a verb, the word means to esteem, distinguish, pay tribute, dignify, or give prestige to.

On Thursday of last week, it seemed that most of the dictionary definitions applied to four of the finest academic performers among the Hill City High School Senior Class. In fact, one of the honors bestowed up these students was a leather bound collegiate dictionary (complete with a copy of the entire book on CD ROM, for those who have never had to actually look in a book to learn the meaning of a word!)

I am referring to the Kansas Honors Program, founded and coordinated by the University of Kansas to recognize the top ten percent of all Kansas twelfth grade students. The students are honored at a banquet, held in their honor, in which they are given the honor of being formally introduced, identified and presented with a most honorable dictionary.

Now, I realize, that it might not seem that much of an honor to get a dinner and a dictionary, especially when you consider the considerable time and energy and talent that went into earning a spot in the top ten percent of your class. What, no scholarship money? No trip to meet the governor? No inclusion of your name among the Who’s Who of American High School Students, printed in a fancy yearbook that could be all yours for the small price of $129.99?

And really, with dictionary.com, and the built in dictionaries that come standard with word processors, who really needs a seven pound, 1200 page book?

Or at least, these were some of the thoughts running through my head before I attended the banquet in Logan.

Once there, I immediately became aware of the honor of the occasion. First, the program for our area is held in the Dane Hansen Memorial Plaza, a stunningly beautiful facility that rivals anything found on any college campus. Next, the event is a strictly formal affair, with the students dressed for success, looking competent and capable, cool and collected. Then, after a delicious dinner, we were honored to a series of addresses about the Honors Program and about the importance of attaining a world class education. We were even treated to a concert of sorts by a KU pianist and vocal major.

What impressed me the most, however, were the presentations of the dictionaries. This is where I came in. I, along with the principals of the other schools, introduced our fine students and told the audience a little about each exceptional scholar. We shared their plans for college and we were treated to a glimpse of the remarkable futures which await these young adults.

If any of the recipients of the dictionary should actually use these magnificent tomes to look up the word honor, they will find that one of the definitions refer to an honor being a “somebody of something that brings respect or glory and is a source of pride to somebody or something else.” In other words, these top students are an honor to their parents, to the town, and to Hill City High School.

My only regret is that I have only known each of the seniors for such a brief time. Soon they will be moving on to fulfill their great potential. All I can say is that is has been a wonderful honor to have known them, and that I feel extremely honored to have been part of the lives of these wonderful students.