BEDFORD -- Several motions were made, amended and withdrawn before the Bedford County School Board settled on ridding graduation ceremonies of valedictorians, salutatorians and top 10 designations beginning with the class of 2011.

All students who achieve grade point averages of 3.75 to 3.99 and 4.0 and higher instead will be recognized as honors and high honors graduates, respectively. The board approved the changes on a 6-2 vote.

School board members Talbot Huff and Shirley McCabe voted against the change, which has puzzled the board and complicated discussions for months.

"I have a problem with giving up these valedictorians and salutatorians and turning the graduation ceremony into a popularity contest," Huff said.

Under the procedure approved Thursday, honors and high honors students will vote among themselves for graduation ceremony speakers. Another option, which was not approved, would have permitted the entire student body to nominate speakers.

The issues were brought to the board's attention earlier in the school year because of what school officials said has become an unfair system of ranking the top 10 students in a curriculum of diverse weighted courses. According to the county's three high school principals, students are passing up nonweighted elective courses, such as art and band, for dual enrollment courses or college level electives that are weighted to boost GPAs.

The current system does not let students "step outside the box in what's become academic rigor to do things that you normally don't get to do," said Staunton River High School Principal Rowdy Stump.

The board voted 7-1 to exempt high achieving seniors in the class of 2009 from midterm exams. Last spring the board voted to do away with the exemption policy at all three high schools but the change was not reflected in Staunton River's student handbook. School officials notified students and parents last month but several students challenged the oversight.

"I don't think we can do for one and not the other two," said school board member David Black.

The board opted to offer exemptions to all eligible seniors at the three county high schools but will give any student who is need of improving a grade the choice to take an exam.

Board member Mickey VanDerwerker voted against the change.