Dad Buys Billboard To Declare Son Valedictorian When School Refuses To

A North Carolina high school did away with naming valedictorians, so when a student graduated at the top of his class, his parents took matters in to their own hands.

Josh Allmon graduated from East Wake High School with a 5.31 GPA, but when the school refused to name him as valedictorian, his father purchased a billboard congratulating his son on his academic accomplishments.

In a Facebook post, Josh's father Garry said "East Wake High School and Wake County Public School Board may not recognize Josh's hard work but we will." He included a picture of the billboard, which was on display from June 10-12, in the post.

"You will always be our valedictorian," the billboard read.

East Wake High School recently ended recognizing valedictorians in favor of a Latin honors system, which the school claims is "better way to recognize students who may have barely missed being named valedictorian or salutatorian by several decimal places," according to News and Observer.

"It's a stupid rule that will hurt students down the line, but it'll accomplish their goal of making everyone feel equal," Josh wrote on Twitter.

Josh's academic accomplishments are seriously impressive.

Josh said that even though on paper he was number one in his class, the refusal of the school to recognize his achievements was upsetting.

"I was flabbergasted when I first saw the billboard, and enjoyed the recognition that it gave, but was also appreciative of the fact that it allowed for a broader message/warning to be shared," Josh said. He wrote on Twitter that he hoped the billboard would send a message to the school system that refusing to name a valedictorian undermines the reputations of high-achieving students.

He added that "new policies are aimed at making everyone feel as if they achieved equally; this is simply not the case. Some people simple work harder."

Josh will attend North Carolina State University in the fall to study chemical engineering and paper science engineering with a minor in business, according to WRAL.

Did the school make the right choice? Or is this just another version of participation trophies?