Schools

Party for Straight-A Students Only Draws Questions

A dance and pizza party open solely to straight-A students at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring has raised questions among some parents and kids.

Would a dance and pizza party motivate your middle-schooler to earn better grades?

Straight-A students at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring were invited to a dance party as a reward for good grades, but fallout over who was excluded is upsetting some parents, reports FOX 5 TV.

Tuesday’s party at the end of classes included a DJ, free pizza, soda and a game room for students who had all A’s.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Students who earned a mix of A’s, B’s and C’s were allowed to join in after the pizza was served, although some A students told the TV station they thought it was unfair to exclude the kids with lower grades.

“The students that don’t get to go end up feeling bad,” said parent Karen Hanlon, whose daughter has learning disabilities and was not invited to the party. Hanlon told The Washington Post that the dance “separates the students into groups” in a school already divided between a highly competitive magnet program and the students who come from the immediate neighborhood.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools told FOX 5 that "recognitions are decided at the school level in collaboration with the school community." She suggested parents with questions bring them up with their principal and other officials at their school.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here