Hi lovethesun. I feel your frustration. When I graduated college I was .05 points away from getting my degree Phi Beta Kappa, and all because I turned one paper in a day late. (chuckle) My friends said I should have told the professor what his grade was costing me, and he would probably have changed the grade. But I didn't want to put myself into the position of having to plead for a better grade. (A lot of students did that kind of thing, but I could never bring myself to do it.)

However, I used to teach, and I know that students can be given awards for variety of reasons based on a variety of criteria depending on the type of award and the type of school. Why not ask the teachers at your daughter's school what they are basing their judgements on when deciding which students should get an award. The student with the highest grades? A special project? A contest? Participation in an academic club plus academic performance?

If they are making their decisions based entirely on a teacher's subjective opinion, that's wrong. But if there is something specific that your daughter could be doing to get more recognition, she has a right to know what it is.

One thing to keep in mind, the students who are the most successful in school are not necessarily the most successful in life. This has never been more true than today.

--Ceara1010