A Texas high school cheerleader has been stripped of her valedictorian honor and could have lost her scholarship due to a miscalculation when her family was booking plane tickets to watch a speech.
Maya Bellis, a senior at Blue Ridge High School in the northeastern corner of Texas, was officially announced as the school’s top student in March after working hard toward the feat for the past four years.
“The only goal I set for myself at the beginning of my freshman year was, ‘I can do this.'” Bellis told WFAA.
Bellis was a member of her school’s cheerleading team and her academic achievements were recognized by the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program.
As Velis moved towards her dreams, administrators allegedly consistently told the student that if she didn’t fail her classes, she was on track to become valedictorian.
Bellis’ family also prepared for the once-in-a-lifetime moment of graduation.
Seniors were writing speeches and family members overseas were buying plane tickets. But the plan went awry when Blue Ridge High School Principal Trent Hamilton called the high school student about the mistake.
Hamilton informed Bellis that there was a miscalculation of his GPA and transfer of credits from another school, resulting in him coming in third place in his class instead of valedictorian.
“Hearing those words with less than 30 days until graduation was heartbreaking,” she cried.
Bellis, who earned dual credit and AP honors in high school, transferred from the Frisco school in 2022 as a junior, and some of the classes offered at her previous school were transferred to Blue Ridge High School. It was not provided. According to people.
WFAA said Bellis’ credits earned at her previous school were not considered under the district’s transfer policy, which has been in place for seven years.
“I would understand if this was a policy that had been in place for a year or two and they weren’t familiar with it,” said Jorge Veliz, the father of a high school student.
Bellis, who was planning to attend the University of Texas, may also lose the scholarship he was due to receive.
Students who graduate at the top of their class from accredited Texas high schools receive tuition waivers for their first year of college. According to the Texas Education Agency.
“I don’t have that sense of stability right now,” she told the outlet.
“This is not something I want any child or any parent to have to deal with,” Jorge Bellis added.
The frustrated father said he had been in contact with the school since last year to ensure that his daughter’s transfer did not affect her standing in the grade.
He even asked if his daughter had to take summer classes to maintain her class rank.
The school district announced it has completed a review of Bellis’ grades to comply with state law.
“Blue Ridge ISD has investigated the matter of this private student and has communicated with the parent. The district will comply with applicable state law and EIC and EIC Local board policy to maintain academic performance, grade calculations for this period of each year. , and class rank,” a district spokesperson told WFAA.
“Originally, a miscalculation occurred when finalizing GPA and class rank. It has since been revised to ensure compliance with both of these board policies. All affected students have been notified. In addition, plans have been initiated to ensure that such mistakes do not occur in the future. In accordance with the Home Education Rights and Privacy Act, we cannot further discuss specific student information.”
The heartbroken student says he has no intention of attending the graduation ceremony.
“This affects my future,” she said. “And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.”
