Useful tips on how to get a gold medal in school. From the history of gold and silver school medals

The gold medal at the school is awarded to students for learning "excellent". Such students are the real pride of any school. But the requirements for getting a medal are very high. Does such an award justify itself and what does it give when entering a university?

Will a gold medal help me get in?

Previously, a gold medal opened the door to any higher institution. The student did not pass the entrance exams, but only passed the interview. To date, a gold medal will help in admission only if the medalist and another applicant score the same number of points. In such a controversial situation, the place will be given to the medalist.

2) Medal and university

Students who have received a gold medal are listed on a special account with the dean's office. It is the medalists who are chosen to be group leaders. According to the regularity, students with such an award graduate from the university with a red diploma. Therefore, teachers place special hopes on such students.

3) How to get a gold medal at school?

A student who wishes to receive a gold medal must understand that he must devote all his time to learning. The main conditions are:

• In all subjects that are included in the school curriculum, the student must have an “excellent” grade.
• Cannot be trained externally
• It is forbidden to retake exams in order to improve the score

Extra points when entering the university, but at the same time sleepless nights in the eleventh grade in the hope of learning the material for the lesson and getting another five. Why do you need a gold medal, and is it needed? Maybe it’s better to calmly prepare for the exam in the selected subjects than to try to do everything? We learned what the trophy owners think about it.

Ekaterina Lapitskaya:

ENJOY THE LAST YEARS OF SCHOOL

First of all, a gold medal is a reason to be proud of yourself. In addition, it is a joy for myself, my parents and close people, because in my family, for example, there have never been medalists before.

I became an excellent student only in the ninth grade. After successfully receiving the first diploma, I did not want to give up positions, and I decided to reach the end with positive marks. Definitely, it was not easy. The tenth and eleventh grades were the most difficult for me. When you are an excellent student, you have some responsibility - you must always be ready for the lesson. If a survey is conducted in the classroom, then the likelihood that you will be asked if no one else knows the answer increases several times. It was a lot of stress for me. On the control or independent tests, the most terrible thing was to hear the result. I seem to be sure that I passed well, but I was still afraid that there would be no five.

In fact, during this period I was very much obsessed with grades. On homework it took me quite a lot of time, while some classmates had fun and did not worry about their academic performance, unlike me. Sometimes I regretted that I decided to achieve a medal.

On this moment I don't think these efforts are justified. The fact is that when entering a university, additional points are given with a diploma with honors, but at the same time you may not have a medal. In fact, the medal brought me only temporary satisfaction and the realization that I managed to achieve my goal. For an honors diploma, one could try a little less than for a medal. Those periods when I studied did not bring me much joy. I could do some other interesting things, but I was only focused on my studies. I won't say it was great.

In my opinion, if the student really likes to study, and this does not bring any difficulties, you can go to gold medal, why not. In principle, it is just an addition to an honors degree.

I would rather advise graduates to enjoy these recent years at school and pay attention to exams. Well, also the desire to receive a medal and a diploma with honors gives rise to perfectionism. I know from my own experience that after high grades you don’t want to lower the bar, and thus you try to do everything 100%, but there is no ideal result.

Anastasia Belaya:

I CAN'T SAY THAT I NEED TO GO TO THE GOLD MEDAL

First of all, the gold medal gave me internal forces, a new push to achieve goals. As for entering the university, thanks to the red diploma, they took me to free education in the Institute.

In fact, at first I did not expect to receive a medal. I didn't even expect this turn of events. I just, as always, took my studies seriously during the tenth and eleventh grades, did all my homework, participated in olympiads, made presentations and tried to get only positive marks. Two years flew by unnoticed, and now they tell me that I am an excellent student, I am a medalist!

Experiences and strong emotions were always there. I was very worried about my studies: for independent, control, laboratory works and just for lessons. She often stayed up late to prepare. There were certainly problems too. It was difficult to understand many topics and even the subjects themselves, but with diligence and labor everything was comprehended.

In fact, I cannot say that a medal is a sign of intelligence, for me it is rather an indicator of work, perseverance. Remembering now my school years, I can say with confidence that I gave all my best, made every effort, so the gold medal is a well-deserved reward.

I do not consider it necessary to go for a gold medal, it is possible to live without it. According to my observations, there is not much difference between medalists and those who do not have it.

Maria Staina:

I DID PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO GET A MEDAL

The gold medal gave me two points at admission and, as a result, passing in the first wave. Without her, I would have gone through the second one and just worried for a few more days. But all the same, I would have entered the budget where I wanted to.

I did almost nothing to get the medal. It was very easy for me to study at school. Test papers I always passed before everyone else without preparation, it was enough to visit the lesson. Homework I practically didn’t do it, because of this, problems often arose, but the school needed a medal, and its presence was more the merit of the teachers and the director with the head teacher than mine.

There was no effort, I told the director in person that I did not need a medal, asked me to leave me behind.

If schoolchildren need to make efforts to study for one five, then this is good, because a medal is a goal that can and should be strived for. But the nerves she takes away for the last two school years, it's not worth it. If she gave more privileges, then yes. And so without a medal you can live in peace, as the majority lives. In my first-year group of 32 people, if I'm not mistaken, there were 24 medalists. All are very different. My medal, in fact, means nothing, I study poorly. And some even without a medal are much more successful and passed the exam, and are studying now. So again, the medal, in my opinion, is outdated.

Should the school gold medal be abolished once and for all? If not, then how to integrate this prestigious award into the system of the Unified State Examination (USE)? This topic is discussed last six months- from the speeches of representatives higher education at the VII Congress of the Russian Union of Rectors before the parliamentary hearings on the results of the Unified State Exam for 2002, where the heads of regional education expressed their arguments against the gold medal.

Golden Rain

A new stage in the history of the gold medal began in 1995: at that time, for the first time in several decades, golden rain poured down on Russian schools. Least of all he was expected by the heads of education. “This explosion was a surprise for us,” the Ministry of Education commented at the time. “But we would be careful not to talk about an absolute increase in the level of knowledge of students. It is generally difficult to determine.”

An unexpected wave of passionate love for learning that swept over Russia led to the fact that in graduation classes non-capital schools (most often these were schools with in-depth study of the subject) since 1995, three to four gold medalists turned out annually. Some Moscow schools had eight medalists in each edition.

Teachers found an explanation for the phenomenon. In the early 90s, many schools with in-depth teaching of the subject were created. As soon as the first high school and lyceum students began to take their final exams, the ninth wave of gold and silver medals swept across the country - from Kaliningrad to Magadan. Graduates of gymnasiums, lyceums and special schools showed excellent results because their final exams were taken on the basis of general school examination materials. And these materials were designed for a more modest level of knowledge.

The "overproduction" of gold medalists had other, much more far-reaching consequences. It made the work of university admissions committees unbearable. Medalists, as you know, are entitled to a privilege - enrollment based on the result of the first exam passed with "excellent" marks. After 1995, the following alignment became a tradition in all prestigious universities: about 60 gold medalists applied for 10 vacant places.

Immersed in the "golden" stream, the heads of admission committees of universities determined: only a third of the medalists at the entrance exams confirm their high level. This is the national statistics.

Not surprisingly, in higher education institutions, the school award "For academic excellence" is considered as a sign of distinction of local significance. Today, the gold medal inspires confidence only in the region in which it was issued to the student. And even then not always.

Features of national traditions

Otherwise, the highest school award is a golden fruit that falls into the hands of the lucky person as a result of an unspoken agreement between the school, the student and his parents.

Back in the early nineteenth century, the classics dropped the remark that the exam for the rank of collegiate assessor should be taken in the Caucasus. There is something that helps the examinee: probably the climate. Note that this climate remains fertile to this day.

In Russia, the number of gold medalists per student population increases attractively from north to south.

According to recent statistics, every 596th student in Sakhalin can get a gold medal, in the Moscow region - every 253rd, in Saratov - every 158th, in Rostov - every 55th, in the Republic of Ingushetia - every 39th , V Krasnodar Territory- every 38th, in the Stavropol Territory - every 29th, in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria -

every 18th.

The Kabardino-Balkarian record for the number of gold medals per capita in Russia will most likely never be beaten by anyone. Kabardians answered all the questions of the Ministry of Education so that they would not be hindered from observing national traditions.

One per hand!

But not only national traditions increased the number of gold medalists. Every year there are more and more schoolchildren in the country who bought the medal "For Academic Achievement" (more precisely, the documents accompanying it) themselves.

Where do "free" gold medals come from that can be sold and bought? The fact is that the medal reaches its owner a long way. And there are many nooks and crannies along the way.

Goznak starts collecting applications for gold medals exactly long before a potential medalist graduates from school. As a rule, the list of lucky ones who will receive a gold medal next year is determined by the school and the fleece is exactly one year in advance. A year of departmental correspondence is necessary in order to graduation party) give the student his "silver" or "gold". Bureaucratic delays also explain the fact that a "non-potential" medalist will never receive a well-deserved gold medal under any circumstances, no matter how brilliantly he passes the exams. They will simply tell him: "No, Vasya, you are not worthy of a medal."

But the system is simple: there is no pre-formalized document for a medal - there will be no medalist.

Only in last years in order to restore justice, "extraordinary" medalists still began to give out their well-deserved awards. Sometimes they are ordered after and they are issued, alas, six months or a year later ...

Let's follow the path of the gold medal. From Goznak, the required number of school awards is sent throughout Russia by courier service with the attachment of waybills. The order first goes to the regional education authority, where all invoices are recorded in the book of certificate forms, gold and silver medals and commendation sheets, indicating the number and series of documents received, and then the certificates and medals are distributed to schools. At school, newly arrived certificates are recorded in the same school conduit.

Medals are obtained by invoice and placed in the school safe.

In the 18th century, the first Russian gymnasium followed the traditions of its French counterparts by issuing a gold medal to its best graduate. The director of the gymnasium, tuned in a benevolent European way, did not even suspect that he was founding a tradition that was destined in Rus' for a long and long time. strange life. And in the meantime, that's exactly what happened. Already in Europe XVI centuries, the leaders of the Jesuit schools, who gave children the most prestigious education of their time, marked the best students with medals. The same custom was adopted at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries in schools for girls founded by the nun-teacher Magdalena Sophia Bara and the congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Sacre Coeur). These schools, which gave girls an excellent education (including ancient languages ​​and logic), aroused curiosity and envy among educated Russians of the Pushkin era. So the innocent custom of awarding medals best boys and girls had a long history in Europe. But, having landed on Russian soil, the benevolent educational tradition in Russia acquired a coloring no less exotic than the sundresses of the national toy - matryoshka dolls.

Steal your certificate!

The theft of school gold medals is a rare case. Despite the great prestige in Russian society, this coveted item is, in fact, nothing more than a tin can. Before

In the 40s of the last century, the coveted school trophy was covered with a layer of gilding. After the Great Patriotic War the leaders of the country decided that gilding was too much. In the 50s, a school gold medal cost 40 kopecks, then - 90. In the 70s, its price rose to a ruble forty kopecks. Before the 1998 crisis, a school gold medal was valued at the Mint at about 60 rubles. It is a round piece of tombac (coin bronze). The silver medal "For Academic Achievement" is made of silver-plated nickel silver (cupronickel alloy) and prosaically resembles tablespoons. As I was told in the Moscow Society of Phalerists, the gold and silver medals "For Academic Achievement" do not enjoy increased attention from collectors.

But the hunt is on for the "gold" certificates ...

By itself, the medal does not give privileges. But some opportunities can be extracted from the certificate accompanying it. Each gold or silver medal must be accompanied by a special "gold" or "silver" certificate. Inside these certificates, even at Goznak, it is written in special letters that the student (name) received a gold (silver) medal.

It is impossible to arbitrarily order certificates: their number should correlate with medals approximately as 1:2. If at the Mint representatives of the formation of the Russian territory ordered a thousand gold medals, then Goznak added an order for one and a half thousand special certificates embossed with gold. Ordering five hundred extra certificates for gold medalists alone costs a lot of money. But the territories go for it. School certificates, which to this day are filled out only by hand, are easy to mess up. The order of 1,000 gold and 3,000 silver medals received from the region (in itself it is not punishable, because it is believed that local authorities order medals a year or two in advance) makes it possible to legally order a huge number of extra certificates of the most prestigious forms at Goznak - for gold and silver medalists.

It often happens that it is these certificates that become the subject of purchase, sale and theft.

The internal affairs bodies throughout Russia have initiated many cases on the fact of the theft of forms of school certificates from the fleece or schools. One of the most enchanting thefts of this kind was discovered in April 1998 in the Moscow region, when attackers stole four thousand one hundred and three certificates for ninth-graders and seven hundred certificates for school graduates!

Why steal certificates? Then, that it is the "golden" certificate, and not a medal at all, that the applicant presents to the selection committee as proof of his right to take exams on preferential terms.

Not a single case was initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the presentation of false "golden" certificates in the admissions committees of universities. Bearers of fake school certificates (most of which have numbers listed behind school certificates sent to the Chechen Republic in the late 90s) are calculated by admissions officers according to appearance. And, as a rule, wrap.

Universities themselves regulate the suspicious situation. And not by catching "counterfeiters" in the selection committees, but by tightening the entrance exams.

Woe to the medalist

At the parliamentary hearings on the results of the USE in 2002, the head of education of the Orenburg region, Isaac Kalina (now deputy CEO publishing house "Enlightenment") in his speech emphasized: brilliant scores on the exam were demonstrated by the winners of subject school olympiads, and not candidates for the gold medal. "At the entrance exams to our university, only 31 percent of gold medalists confirm their knowledge," agreed the rector of the Novgorod University. Yaroslav the Wise Anatoly Gavrikov.

Education leaders from different regions of Russia have no doubts: the gold medal says more about the weight of the parent's wallet and the student's entrepreneurial spirit than about his knowledge.

Therefore, they are developing other benefits for entering universities. Since 2004, a system of school subject Olympiads. Their winners will receive the right to enter universities without competition.

Rector of Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy spoke out harshly at the congress of the Russian Union of Rectors. He insists on the right of Moscow State University to conduct entrance examinations that correct USE results(and at the same time weeding out fake gold medalists).

It is already known that Moscow State University will be the first in the currently discussed list of the country's leading universities. These higher educational establishments(approximately fifteen) will be able to set additional entrance tests to their liking.

I'll buy a medal, hang it on the wall!

Minister of Education Vladimir Filippov is not so harsh on school "gold".

“The gold medal will remain,” the minister assured at a press conference. “It should not play a role in the Unified State Examination. But other things being equal, the presence of a gold medal should outweigh when enrolling in universities. We need to develop such a system. For example, at the Russian State University of Friendship of Peoples, of which I was the rector, 65 gold medalists annually applied for eight places in linguistics. We had to arrange the medalists in an ordinal rating. It is clear what will happen to the medalist if he did not confirm his knowledge at the Unified State Examination. And how to distribute the positions of this rating, if

"It's about the inconsistency of the scales. When we come to a different rating scale, then the status of the medalist will be different," Anatoly Gavrikov, rector of Novgorod University, said optimistically.

In other words: when the introduction of the Unified State Examination deprives the gold medal of its progressive force, educational officials will finally stop distributing school "gold" right and left. And then, perhaps, the medal will indeed be awarded for academic excellence.

Even if the experiment with the Unified State Examination seems unsuccessful to the government, in a few years the demographic decline will lead to the fact that the doors of most Russian universities will be open to everyone. Enrollment privileges for medalists will no longer be needed. What to do with the gold medals that allow so many people to feel at work (and even earn money)?

"Why don't we make a gold medal on the wall - like a diploma?" - Vladimir Filippov recently suggested.

Still, the Minister of Education is sorry to part with an old girlfriend.

Until 1917, the gold medal was not nationwide in Russia: gymnasium graduates received this medal. honorary award if that was the decision of the board of the gymnasium. Until 1835, this decision was approved by the local university, and from 1835 - by the educational district. In some difficult cases, the award of a gold medal was a political matter: when the director of the gymnasium F. Kerensky (father of the future head of the Russian Provisional Government) gave the order to issue a gold medal to graduate V. Ulyanov (brother of a well-known terrorist), this event caused gossip. In order to receive a medal, a high school student of previous years had to have excellent grades in Latin and Ancient Greek languages ​​and mathematics, an average score of at least 4.5 in all other disciplines and correct behavior. In the USSR, the decision to award schoolchildren with a gold medal was approved by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars in 1945. In 1968, silver medals were abolished and diplomas "For special successes in the study of individual subjects". Following the results of the 1985/86 school year, schoolchildren were again awarded silver medals.

Svetlana KIRILLOVA

First of September (Moscow), N036

Grachev Denis Alexandrovich,

11th grade student of MAOU "Kalininskaya secondary school"

Village Kalinino, Mikhailovsky district

Amur region.

Research work

Supervisor: teacher of the 1st category Gracheva Irina Mikhailovna

"MEDALISTS OF MAOU "Kalinin secondary school"

Learning can be a pleasant pastime, a useful occupation, hard work, a burden, but it does a deep cleansing work in a person.

All people of all ages are disciples.

Starting from childhood, a person comprehends the ABC of teaching: he learns to take the first steps, pronounce the first words, find friends, make deeds and mistakes.

But real teaching, immersion in knowledge begins with school bench. Making the first, circles, loops, listening to a fairy tale, the child begins to show interest, with pleasure is engaged in the knowledge of what interest is shown.

Growing up, moving from class to class, the child prefers a certain range of subjects that are displayed in a certain cycle: mathematical, humanitarian, biological and geographical, and is happy to study these subjects, having much deeper knowledge of them.

Axiom : there are children for whom learning is part of their constant pursuit of knowledge. They do not single out subjects, dividing them into cycles, they are interested in the knowledge of everything, all subjects are given to them with equal ease, they are equally interested in languages, and mathematics, and physics, they play sports with pleasure, fine arts and have excellent knowledge in all these subjects.

I know that our school also had such students, they are the pride of our school, and, therefore, we, as students, have something to think about, there is someone to look up to.

We set before ourselves target:

*** find out who they are, the pride of our school;

Accordingly, the following tasks:

Find out who in our school comprehended the basics with a special desire;

Clarify what they did in addition to the educational process;

Find out how their fate developed after graduation;

Together with the teacher of Russian language and literature Gracheva I.M. I had to turn to the parents of these students for help, look at photos, awards,

insignia and find answers to my questions.

In the course of the work done, I learned a lot of interesting things, made a lot of discoveries for myself and came to the following conclusion that:

Knowledge is the ability to produce cognitive results, it is the possession of information and its application in practice, which many students of our school can have excellent knowledge in all subjects.

Main part

Who are the medalists of our school?

1. Graduate of 2001 - Alena Parkhomenko

(Alexandrovna); Golden medal.

2. Graduates of 2003:

Rasskazova Varvara (Andreevna); silver medal.

Gracheva Evgenia (Alexandrovna); silver medal.

Dolocheeva Oksana (Petrovna); silver medal.

3. Graduates of 2008:

Pashkova Xenia (Nikolaevna); Golden medal.

Churin Vladimir (Vladimirovich). Silver medal.

Continuing our story, we will dwell in more detail on one of the medalists, Varvara Rasskazova. We will trace her school path, learn about her victories and achievements.

And I want to start with the fact that Varvara, a graduate of 2003, was born on April 04, 1986 in the village of Kalinino, Mikhailovsky District, Amur Region.

She studied at the Kalininskaya secondary school from 1992 to 2003.

For ten years of study, she had excellent and good knowledge in all subjects, for which she was awarded Diplomas, Honorable Mentions from the School Administration.

Let us dwell in more detail on the merits of Barbara during this period of time from the side of the school:

1995 - Diploma "For excellent study";

1996 - Commendation sheet "For excellent achievements in teaching";

1999 - Diploma "For excellent study";

2001 - Diploma "For excellent achievements in teaching" and

Commendation sheet "For excellent achievements in teaching";

2002 - Diploma "For ebb study";

2003 - Diploma "For excellent study and active participation in public life class, school, district.

The excellent and good attitude to studies on the part of the district Administration did not go unnoticed. At the end of the school, Varvara was awarded a Diploma and Gratitude "For good study" and "For special success in learning in connection with the end of school."

Starting from the 6th grade (1997), Varvara has been a permanent member of the Rostok school scientific society. Under the guidance of a teacher of chemistry and biology Kopyryulina V.A. she is engaged in research work in the field of ecology and defends the honor of the school at the district and regional level. Her work draws attention to itself research material, the ability to submit it, to interest the audience and are recognized by a strict jury:

1998 - Diploma "For active participation in the regional scientific and practical conference on research and experimental work;

2001 - Diploma "For active research work in the local history movement" Fatherland ";

2002 - Diploma for 1st place in the regional scientific and practical conference on research and experimental work.

2002 - Diploma for 2nd place in the 13th regional scientific and practical conference of schoolchildren on experimental and research work;

2002 - Diploma for 3rd place in the regional conference of schoolchildren "Step into Science" on ecology, which was held in the city of Chita.

For her great contribution to research work, Varvara is invited to Moscow to participate in the All-Russian Conference of Young Researchers environment, which took place in 2002 from 11 to 16 March. This is evidenced by document No. 1885, which was issued by the Central Station for Young Naturalists and Ecologists of the Ministry of Education of Russia.

Giving preference to research work, Varvara is engaged in a deeper knowledge of the subjects of the school cycle and participates in olympiads in history, mathematics, 3

German and Russian and is awarded a Diploma for her knowledge (2002). In 2002, a competition for the best student was held within the school, and Varvara was recognized

"The best mathematician" and " Best Artist» schools (2002). Participating in a poetry competition in German, she does not go unnoticed here either: the result is 1st place.

As the saying goes: “If you know how to work, know how and relax”, Varvara spends time with benefit and relaxation in the Gornyak sanatorium and health camp. There she takes an active part: she works with younger children, participates in the Miss The Snow Queen"and receives Gratitude in the nomination" Most, most, most ".

2002 for Barbara is the most almost eventful. After arriving from the camp, she plunges back into her studies and into extracurricular activities. Does not remain indifferent to participation in the regional exhibition children's creativity"Hello, winter-winter!" and "Craft is honored everywhere", in the art competition "Amur Landscapes".

Her talents are again marked by the Diplomas of the Department of Education.

On the verge of 2003. The time of graduation and the time of determining the future. Varvara tries to find herself in modeling clothes and enters the Amur State University(AmSU) to the faculty applied arts. Engaged in the design of clothing from various fabrics. And there, too, does not remain aloof from the public life of the university. Participates in a phonetic competition German and takes the prize 2nd place within the framework of the Week foreign language. A strict jury pays attention to Varvara and sends her to defend the honor of the university in the city of Khabarovsk at a conference on the German language.

But the girl does not have a soul for modeling clothes. All those years that were devoted to research in the field of ecology took "the upper hand" over what she wanted, and she leaves her studies at the AmSU and goes where her vocation leads - DalGAU faculty "Agroecology" and does what she loves, to which she devoted her school years - ecology .

Already in 2007, the university hosted the 15th student conference, and Varvara's report was recognized as the best poster presentation, and in 2009, at the same 17th student conference, she took 1st place in her section.

Studying brings joy, a desire to learn, and Varvara devotes herself completely to the maelstrom of educational affairs. He does not leave public affairs either, being an activist in many events. This is an amateur performance, where she is the organizer of the production of Russian folk dance, playing the guitar, yoga, hiking in nature. Participation in the city competition "Student 2010" brings

Varvara has a lot of new and interesting things. This is an acquaintance with students of other universities, a presentation with a report on the topic “Development of phytocenoses of continuous

flowering to create a comfortable environment in the city of Blagoveshchensk.

This is a diploma for winning in the nomination "Student-researcher", this is a letter of thanks to Varvara's parents "for raising a daughter who serves as an example for students."

Conclusion

Thus, studying school life excellent students of our school, I would like to say that teaching, indeed, can be with passion, you just need to really want it, and everything will work out.

In our work, we talked about who were the excellent students of our school over the past 10 years, who graduated from school with a gold medal and a silver medal, found out that the excellent students are the same students, they just clearly go to the goal, talked about one of the school's excellent students, which in its asset has a silver medal, Varvara Rasskazova. We tracked her school path, hobbies outside of school, admission to a university and student life.

We recommend the results of our study for class hours, activities for extracurricular humanitarian work. Research may be suggested in the preparation school book memory. Based on the results of the scientific conference, it is planned to write a note in the school newspaper "Little Country".

We, today's students, should look up to our medalists, be proud that they received the most ordinary knowledge in the most ordinary school in the village of Kalinino!

We hope to continue working with Irina Mikhailovna and we think that we will discover many more new things for ourselves.

Since 2009, benefits for admission to universities have been abolished for graduates who have received a gold medal at school for excellent studies. The event caused a storm of indignation and a lot of public questions that have not subsided to this day. Let's try to figure out why a gold medal is needed at school, how to get it and what benefits does it give to a future student?

For graduation, awarded to students whose final grades for two graduation years were exceptionally excellent. Earning a GPA of 5.0 is not as easy as it seems at first glance. To get the highest mark, the student must not only solve all the control and independent work“excellent”, but also to do homework, to study hard in addition. A good relationship with teachers can also affect the final result. For some time now, namely since the introduction of the Unified State Examination, the life of an ordinary student has become much more complicated. In order to prepare well for the final certification, it is necessary to attend various electives and electives. Many students use individual tutors, who train them to solve tests, give advice on writing essays and essays. Both “weak” students and those who apply for medals work with tutors. Oddly enough, both Olympiads and excellent students use the services of individual teachers. Nowadays, competition has increased significantly, so a gold medal at school is not a reason to relax and abandon your studies. If triples and good students study with the help of tutors new material, cramming theory, then excellent students need practice and experience in solving the exam.

Despite the fact that for some time now a gold medal at school does not mean anything by law when entering a university, university rectors have the right to independently decide whether to take into account information about the receipt of a medal by an applicant or not. Maybe, admission committee graduates who have received a medal will be considered separately, but this does not give special rights for admission. If earlier a gold medal at school guaranteed an easier task of entrance exams, preferential entry into a prestigious university, now such privileges have finally lost their force. Nevertheless, benefits for Olympiads have been preserved. Winners and laureates of all-Russian and world competitions in the field of science and sports have the right to enter a university on special grounds. As it became known, in the future it is also planned that the winners of regional and republican Olympiads will have the opportunity to enter the university of their region on preferential terms.

Despite all the facts that speak against its receipt, the school medal remains special sign difference that distinguishes a student with abilities, an intellectual from an ordinary average graduate. The medal is a pride for the parents of teachers and relatives of the future student. Medalists are also invited to a special ball, where statesmen, ministers of education and the elite of the city (republic) gather. At the ball, graduates are awarded silver and gold trophies, diplomas and gifts. According to the classical scheme, the celebration ends with a buffet table in honor of the best graduates.

Surely each of us thought or even dreamed that it would be great to get a gold medal for the successful completion of school ... But, unfortunately, not many succeeded. And now imagine what responsibility the graduates have assumed, whose names are now on the lists of the best, whose photographs hang on the honor rolls. Their excellent knowledge in a particular field will be remembered long years within the walls of the school teachers and management. Their names will often be on the lips class teachers. The whole class spoke about these students, they were praised and scolded, they were admired and offended, but they endured and, in spite of everything, received their well-deserved medal!