We asked students how they feel about the removal of the valedictorian title in high schools

Powers are shifting in the academic universe with the announcement by the North Carolina State Board of Education that the titles of valedictorian and salutatorian will no longer be given out as of 2019.

The Class of 2018 will be the last graduating class to use this ranking method and some high school students are not happy about the decision.

"Everyone that I've spoken to is really bothered by it. Granted, I am in the Honors and AP classes and those are the kids that would get it anyway," Kendall Putnam, a current high schooler said. "A lot of my friends chose their classes for the sole purpose of trying for valedictorian so they're definitely not happy."

The thinking behind the change is to align the North Carolina school system with others across the nation and to prevent multiple students from having to share the title when they end up with the same GPA.

Instead, NC school systems will use a 10-point grading scale and the Latin honors system of recognition (like what colleges use). A few counties in North Carolina have already implemented this change.

Preston Forst, a junior in NC says he's all for it. "It gives me something to work toward," said Forst. "I'm really competitive about it and I like the competitive edge."

Will it encourage students to all meet the standard of recognition or will it be less of a competition for the number one class rank? Some people won't really be impacted by the change if their rank isn't super important to them, but others may be losing the opportunity to show their superiority to their classmates and community.