Like many high achieving students, former Cape Coral High School student, Alto Tarver, had eagerly awaited his senior award ceremony. With nearly a 5.0 grade average and more than 200 hours of community service under his belt, in addition to his achievements in sports, including team, basketball and football, the young man thought he was a shoe in for summa cum laude status come graduation. Unfortunately, he was in for a shock. “I was looking for my name, and I had seen it under physical education,” Tarver told Fox 4 News. “I felt almost betrayed.” For Tarver it wasn’t just about the lack of acknowledgement of his own achievements, but also the fact that the academic achievements of Black students are so often overlooked. “I feel like them giving me the PE award kind of put me back into that box that I tried so hard to get out of,” he said. “It felt bad to feel like they only cared about my athletics, and how good I could make the school look.” Tarver isn’t the only one to notice...
