Linda Conchetto, the high school student who made a silent scene at the Maturity: «Humiliating marks for everyone in the Greek test, I was aiming for 90 but I’m happy with 60»

She is the first to put into practice the “oral strike” in the third A final exams at the Foscarini classical high school after the Greek test. Linda Conchetto, an eighteen year old from the Lido of Venice, not only a student with good grades but also a promising athlete in athletics: she practices middle distance running with excellent results. She explains her reason without hesitation: «Absurd and humiliating evaluations which I chose, with two other companions, to oppose». The protest she inaugurated exploded the day after the publication of the results of the second paper where she got a 6.5. The students hypothesize that the evaluation was influenced by previous disagreements – a hypothesis yet to be proven – between the external Greek commissioner, professor Carmelita Pettenà of the Franchetti high school in Mestre, and their internal Latin commissioner, teacher Francesco Chiaro.

What did the version seem like to you?
«Not particularly difficult. Remaking it at home with my mother, who graduated in Greek and Latin, I identified only one mistake that could be called such.”

How did you arrive at such a radical decision?
«It was very difficult, I thought about it until the end but the votes, in general, were really very low and for no reason. I couldn’t remain helpless.”

How did the commission react?
«Shocked, I was the first in the institute to take the oral exam. My younger sister goes to the same school, I don’t want her to suffer such an injustice, I felt disrespected.”

Will she still be promoted?
«I aimed to exceed 90, I’ll settle for just over sixty. On the other hand, I attended the oral exam, I may not have studied. Even with the minimum, I pass.”

His assignment was sufficient, but ten out of fourteen students were not…
«I can’t explain so many insufficiencies. I myself showed up with an 8 in Greek on my report card and my entire class has a good average. I asked the commissioners to review the version together, at the beginning there was resistance and in any case there was no way to change things”.

What may have happened?
“I believe that the external commissioner of Greek held firm but gave different treatment to another section.”

However, the evaluation is not of just one, but of the entire commission…
“Certain. It is also true that on versions from Greek or Latin there is always a margin of subjective interpretation. But, I repeat, to give a rating of 3.5 I believe that other problems are needed.”

Can a low grade affect his future?
«I am enrolled at Miami University in Ohio on a scholarship for sporting merit. A high final grade would perhaps have allowed me to access school benefits, in the form of a reduction in tuition. But it was a question of principle.”

And now?
«We’re waiting for the paintings. I will ask for access to the documents but I do not plan to make an appeal. I wouldn’t want to compromise the entire class in any way.”

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