In Laconia Schools: The Diploma of Distinction

The Diploma of Distinction program was created in spring 2019 to recognize students who have been “purposeful” in planning their education. Designed to recognize and reward student successes that exceed the minimum requirements of the 26-credit diploma, the program celebrates the academic achievements of the lifelong learner and is an important reflection of our district’s vision and values. The framework for the program rests firmly on and embodies Laconia School District’s Portrait of the Graduate and Sachem PRIDE expectations. It celebrates students' abilities to develop important skills that support career and life readiness through its “passion project” and “Sachem legacy." The Diploma of Distinction recognizes the goals and ideas that inspire students to explore their natural ability to learn and grow.

To understand the Diploma of Distinction and its place in recognizing academic achievement, we first need to understand what it means to be a lifelong learner. The lifelong learner is committed to and seeks out personal opportunities for growth. They are internally motivated and continuous learners. Lifelong learners explore their interests and are passionate in learning about them. They can articulate their goals and remain curious enough to see their outcomes through until the end. To be a lifelong learner requires self-direction and perseverance, the ability to be creative as well as to problem-solve. These 21st century attributes are the foundation of the Laconia Portrait of the Graduate and serve as the framework for teaching and learning districtwide. Students seeking to be considered for the Diploma of Distinction understand that these traits are essential to success and rely on them to initiate action and adapt to changes. In awarding the Diploma of Distinction, Laconia recognizes those students who embody the characteristics of the Laconia Portrait of the Graduate at the highest levels.

Laconia believes that “learning transfers to life beyond the Laconia School District experience so students have the confidence to lead, to follow, and to grow in order to be responsible citizens who own their future.” Through this vision statement, Laconia School District shows its commitment to supporting and celebrating the importance of working to help our students become lifelong learners. Our district vision statement directly aligns with the belief that lifelong learners create the skills and opportunities necessary to be strong leaders and active participants in our community by following their curiosities and developing an awareness of different perspectives in the world around them. These are attributes our students live daily in our Sachem PRIDE core values. Students that graduate with the Diploma of Distinction award are being recognized for having a plan to own their future and seeking opportunities to learn, to develop strong relationships, and to inspire greater social awareness.

Unlike other achievement awards, Laconia graduates do not receive the Diploma of Distinction; they earn it. Students who have maintained a “B” average and are on track to earn 30 credits by graduation are invited to participate in the program in the spring of their junior year. Specific core requirements are already dictated in our graduation requirements and have been removed from the Diploma of Distinction achievement award to recognize there is flexibility in individual student learning pathways. This allows us to celebrate students at all levels and aligns to our ideal that a vertical learning plan needs to create opportunities for all aspects of career and life readiness, not just one that honors our college-bound students. Students who accept their invitation into the program will initiate a “passion” project that explores their individual values and interests and work to leave a legacy in the Laconia community that celebrates our Sachem PRIDE. By fulfilling these requirements, Diploma of Distinction graduates formally demonstrate that they are not only lifelong learners, but that they have succeeded to live the vision of the Laconia School District.

The Diploma of Distinction is important in creating opportunities to support the development of multiple pathways to career and life readiness at Laconia High School. The value of planning a purposeful education, that emanates from a strong framework of 21st-century skills, is grounded in Sachem PRIDE and based on a vision that celebrates the ideal of the lifelong learner, is exactly the academic achievement that colleges and potential employers value and desire. When recognizing, recruiting and developing talent, the traits of the lifelong learner become more important than actual education credentials. Students who earn the Laconia Diploma of Distinction are showing the community around them that they believe in self worth, are adaptable, competitive, diverse and relevant, and are able to navigate their futures with lives that are full of promise and endless possibilities.

Lisa Hinds, 6-12 academic coordinator for teaching and learning, Laconia School District