As the end of senior year approaches, I have noticed that students have begun to do whatever it takes to be at the top of the class. For some of my classmates, this means that they are staying up until 2 A.M. to finish homework, and for others, it means that they are texting their friends at 7:30 A.M. for screenshots of last night’s homework.

As a member of many clubs, I know that student organizations like DECA and NHS make it clear from the very beginning that cheating is a one-way ticket to be kicked out of the club. However, as senior Andrew Pettus notes, most of the time, offenders go unseen.

“A lot of times cheaters aren’t even spotted,” said Pettus. “So they are able to rise without people noticing what they did to get there.”

Throughout my years of schooling, my parents always told me that it did not matter what my grade was; as long as I tried my hardest, they would be proud of me. Many parents disagree and feel the only way their child can succeed is if they pressure them to be at the top of the class. This toxic pressure makes students feel like they can justify their cheating, and as senior Breanna Keller states, they do not really learn anything from their classes. Students like this are only focusing on ways not to disappoint their parents.

“In my classes, everyone was kind of groomed based on what your grade is,” said Keller. “We always care like what our grade is or what our GPA is. We don’t really care about what we learn and stuff like that, so we are more grade-oriented than we need to be.”

In addition to justifying the reason they cheat, students also go unpunished for cheating. I have seen the same students year after year get caught cheating; however, it seems like they don’t ever face any real consequences. This is seriously messed up because many of them continue to be at the top of our class and get to keep leadership positions in clubs. Many agree that students should face the music of their actions.  

“They should be kicked out any sort of clubs they are in, holding positions or not,” said Keller. “Especially things like National Honors Society, where we are held to the expectation of being the leaders of the school. They shouldn’t be able to cheat and stay in the club.”  

No matter the pressure you are feeling, cheating is never justified, and doing it keeps students who work hard and follow the rules from being at the top.