Beginning in 1995, students and teachers at Skyline High School have had the opportunity to be nominated for the Golden Talon Award, but this year changes have been made to nominations.
Since its beginning, the Golden Talon Award has been awarded to students and teachers who embody Skyline’s values. Skyline teacher and Senior Awards chairman Melinda Reay said that a Golden Talon Award winner is “Usually really good at two to three of our evaluation categories of a student here at Skyline, so you’re really a part of Skyline in terms of academics and you’re really involved in extracurriculars. On the staff level, it’s kind of the same thing, […] it’s a teacher who makes a difference in students’ lives, is really good at teaching, assists the school in some way. So, a lot of the time they’re club advisors, or they assist students in other ways, but it’s kind of the most well-rounded overall person. ”
In the past, teachers were chosen for the Golden Talon Award based on feedback from fellow teachers. All this changed when Publicity Officer Miguel Firgoso mentioned a teacher that had yet to be considered. Faculty and staff then decided that students should have the opportunity to nominate a teacher who has impacted their learning or made a difference in their lives. The feedback that students leave for the teachers is sent to Skyline Principal Mitch Nerdin. Nerdin evaluates the student feedback and decides on a few deserving teachers. The final decision uses data and evaluation feedback to choose which teacher receives the Golden Talon Award.
Since students had the opportunity to vote for the teachers they believe are best for the award, they have a lot more power in decision-making. Sometimes, that power can be abused and, instead of picking the most qualified teacher for the position, students simply pick their favorite teacher. Skyline Sophomore Vice President Ashley Price said, “I think students and teachers should vote but it should be primarily up to the teachers because if the students vote then the most popular teachers might win just because they do favoritism towards some students.” As teachers strive to be the “favorite”, it can cause students to vote for the teacher that likes them most. Having both student and teacher feedback helps receive the most information possible; even if there is favoritism towards students, all teachers should bear the same qualities. Price states, “A teacher needs to show care towards their students and staff by showing that they aren’t just there for the paycheck, but want to help the school and everyone around them improve. Teach with care and strive to improve yourself and others.”
Student nominees for the Golden Talon Award differ slightly from teacher nominees as it is strictly mathematical. Students get picked for the award through a teacher evaluation. After the evaluation, students are given points for what they accomplished during their time at Skyline. Eight to twelve students from the top level of evaluations are chosen for the award.
Students receive awards on Senior Award Night. Award-winning Seniors get to attend by invitation only. So, Senior Awards Night only includes one-fifth to one-fourth of the Seniors from Skyline. Invites for Senior Awards Night are to be received in April with the Award Night occurring sometime in May. Not every Senior will receive the Golden Talon Award, but they could receive something else.
Skyline students and teachers alike deserve a chance to impact the Eagles around them. When they receive recognition for their wondrous acts and accomplishments it inspires others to do the same. Price mentioned that The Golden Talon Award “Is special to recognize teachers [and students] so that they feel like the hard work they do truly has a reward. It can be hard to work with little prize so when a teacher is recognized, this can help them to keep their good work up and improve the school all around.”
