<p>About the plagiarizing principal, who I think needs a different job:</p>
<p>what struck me was how similar its [valedictorian’s original speech[ style was to Duval’s [the high school principal] graduation addresses in 2004 and 2005. The second of these, for example, started off, “If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.”</p>
<p>Or, more accurately, it started with Duval’s introduction: “I would like to share some personal thoughts.” They weren’t personal at all, of course, except to the Chicago Tribune’s Mary Schmich, whose 1997 column Duval had found on the Internet and read nearly word for word.</p>
<p>In turned out the same was true of the previous year’s speech, a string of witty sayings under the title, “All I Need to Know I Learned from Noah’s Ark.”</p>
<p>What’s the difference here? Well, Lugo did just what smart high students are supposed to do — used her creativity to come up with an original expression of her thoughts and feelings. Duval did exactly what she shouldn’t have done as the administrator most responsible for upholding her school’s academic integrity: she cheated. And she was later fined for it by the state.</p>
<p>Too bad for Springstead, which recently earned the right to award International Baccalaureate diplomas after a rigorous application process.</p>
<p>This happened on Duval’s watch and, from what I can tell, Springstead more than any other school in the county has fostered the kind of academic ambition that no doubt played a part in Lugo’s application and acceptance to Harvard. That’s why my son plans to go there next fall.</p>
<p>But don’t feel sorry for Duval. Her hypocrisy and poor judgment led to this embarrassment…"</p>
<p>I absolutely loved the “banned” speech. It was, indeed, real, and I know had it been given at my graduation, we all would have loved it.</p>
<p>The “approved” speech was BORING, and did exactly what she said she did not want to do. I bet you not one student will remember that speech in a year, though they may remember the controversy surrounding it.</p>
<p>In an attempt to repress the honest creative observations of the valedictorian Lugo, principal Susan Duval has managed to have national attention refocussed on her own plagiarism incidents (two of them!) It’s poetic justice that due to her own lack of imagination, principal Duvall reaps more public recrimination.</p>
<p>I like most of the banned speech. She might have needed to tone down one or two things (like the parking lot driving rules, there was probably a legit safety issue there, and even if there wasn’t it’s not a good idea to mock safety rules). But for the most part it was funny and different. With a few minor edits it would have been great!</p>
<p>I hate the second version. Boring, and exactly what she didn’t want to do.</p>
<p>One of my friends’ kids & parents were called in to the Headmaster’s office shortly after graduation because he didn’t read the speech that the school planned for him to read but rather read HIS speech with his original thoughts that weren’t the school’s “party line.” They were VERY unhappy with the student but realized they had very little control after-the-fact. The parents were so upset with the school, I think they lost a lot of potential donations by calling them all on the carpet (the parents and all the friends they share the school’s heavy-handed treatment with). The school always passes off the graduation speeches given by the students as THEIRS–hmmmmph!</p>
<p>As far as the cap and gown thing goes … when my son graduated from public high school they had to purchase the gown which wasn’t much more than solid blue Handi-wipe fabric. If I didn’t know it was a “graduation gown” I would have thought it was a really cheap bathrobe. </p>
<p>If I was as clever as Jem Lugo I would have come up with something along the lines of the Emperor’s New Clothes.</p>
<p>I thought her original speech was awesome. I hope it’s printed and handed out to her class. I’d love it if her town did a post graduation party and she was able to deliver the speech there as originally written. Especially if it made it to YouTube!</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s fun to stick to traditions, but not take them (or yourself, for that matter) too seriously. The first speech would have been very memorable, had it been issued. What a shame.</p>
<p>My experience is that NO student speeches are memorable from high school. Well, the one from older D’s high school graduation was SOOOO spectacularly boring, parts of it were memorable–even 5 years later. </p>
<p>Some college commencement speakers have given memorable commencement addresses. But it is hard for student speakers to give one.</p>
<p>Principal should have let the gal give her original speech, so long as it was not calculated to hurt feelings or bring the school into disrepute.</p>
<p>In a not that unusual twist, I will offer a different opinion from most. The principal was absolutely correct to reject the original speech. </p>
<p>For starters, the primary role of a valedictorian in delivering the graduation speech is to show respect for her school, her classmates, and the audience. As it was presented originally, this parody of what a speech should be missed every objective. It was atrociously lengthy, poorly written, and a complete hodgepodge of thoughts and hollow commentaries. </p>
<p>The second version, albeit not much better, had the great attribute to be shorter and sufferable. </p>
<p>As far as I am concerned, the valedictorian, especially one on her way to the pinnacle (that word again) of education in Cambridge should have taken her responsibility of respecting her school --and the traditions-- more to heart, and delayed the selfishness and immaturity for a few more hours. </p>
<p>The principal, despite her own issues with speeches, acted in the best interest of the school, the students, and the parents. She also acted on behalf of the students who will follow Jem Lugo. And that is why we have traditions and need to reject the actions of people who believe to be the next Conan without understanding the notion of time and place.</p>
<p>I am stunned that the school administrators found anything wrong with the original speech. It actually devolves into some areas of the cliche of Valedictorian speeches. “stand up for something”, etc. It is fine and they look ridiculous for having banned it. What would they do if it had been truly controversial. I will agree that it was too long.</p>
<p>Our highschool class president was a goof ball, and the people in charge of graduation knew that. They went over his speech over and over, made sure everything was ok with it, and finally arrived on an ‘approved’ speech. Which, when he took the podium, he promptly tore up and threw onto the ground.</p>
<p>The speech he gave was kind of similar to the one in the article, but probably a little more risque, and talked more about what we’d gone though over the last four years. While the other two speakers had stood there and read their carefully groomed speech off of a notecard while the graduating students fought to stay awake, his speech was dynamic, from the heart, and summed up what we as a class were. And to be honest it was the only thing about graduation that actually felt like it was for us the students instead of for the faculty, or for our families, and I appreciated that.</p>
<p>xiggi- even in Cambridge, there is a long history of comedic speakers at Class Day, usually risque, sometimes off-color, always topical and current. On Commencement the dry predictable speakers are scheduled.</p>
<p>Because there are too many “important” people there? Or simply because of tradition?</p>
<p>If it’s just because of tradition…I would rather have a memorable speech that deviates from tradition than have to listen to another boring, predictable speech just because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”</p>
<p>There are too many stupid, bureaucratic “traditions” to do with high school already. Students should, at least, be able to expect an address from one of our peers that they would realistically give. No 17-year-old would realistically give her “approved” speech of his or her own accord.</p>
<p>Most of the graduates could skip the ceremony. The whole stupid and all the hassle, everyone puts up with because it’s for the family and friends. There should be some part of it that is solely for the graduates, and what better time and place than from one of our peers?</p>
<p>At my daughter’s high school (a public, charter PA school), the students plan the entire graduation with very little input from the administration. It takes the seniors almost the entire year to plan their day, and as a result it is very personal and very meaningful to the kids. The year my daughter graduated, the student speakers auditioned before a board of students, staff and administrators…the val does not automatically speak. My daughter auditioned as part of a team (which was selected); one student had the theme “Who We Were”, my daughter spoke on “Who We Became” and the last student addressed “Who We Will Be”. It was a great mix of both the serious and the hilarious…but it would likely never have been approved by the principal at Springfield High.</p>