MUNSTER | School Board members are reviewing the elimination of class rank at Munster High School with an eye toward creating more opportunities and less rivalry.

"The competition to be at the top has become cutthroat and manipulative," said Principal Steven Tripenfeldas, who officially recommended the measure be approved.

"Being named valedictorian depends more upon the courses taken at specific times in a student's high school career instead of achievement."

Though still on the table for discussion in April, the topic has garnered widespread support among parents, students and board members.

One of the most compelling arguments is found in the fact that the class rank of a current Munster senior with a 3.0 GPA, or B average, is in the bottom half of the class - 222 out of 361 students - which is the 38th percentile to be exact.

Board President John Friend said that student would also not be eligible to play college athletics.

"It's scary," he added. "It's one of those things whose time has come. It's time to stop the insane competition. All the factors have just come together like a perfect storm. The bottom line is we're going to do what's best for our students."

Member Carrie Wadas agreed. "I think eliminating rank is the way to go," she said.

"Some students play the GPA game and don't take courses that benefit their future or are in their major. It would give them more options to choose what they want without being worried about being in the top 10."

Students are bypassing classes they have an interest in and are passing up extracurricular activities because of the intense pressure caused by rank, Tripenfeldas said.

Wadas said students commonly drop out of orchestra, band and art programs because such classes essentially lower class rank based on credit.

Indiana University began advising administrators to not report class rank because it hurt the admission for Munster students, Wadas said.

The committee found students ranked in the middle are harmed by rank on college applications and scholarships. Schools that eliminated rank have seen a significant increase in acceptance rates and scholarship money offered.

Additionally, research suggests other schools are rarely pressured by universities to give rank and less than half of incoming freshmen at universities report rank.

The topic has been brought up in years past, but Friend praised the research done by Tripenfeldas and his committee. The board is looking at implementation details and has not received any negative feedback so far, he added.

"The competition is so strong students figure out to the 'nth' degree when to take a class," said member Paula Nellans. "We hope kids relax and feel less pressure."