<p>In light of the imminence of graduation, I wanted to start a thread to have parents (and others) shed light on what their favorite graduation (either valedictorian, salutatorian, commencement, student speaker, etc.) speeches have been and why they have been memorable.</p>
<p>I know I personally like humor but very few people in my opinion can pull it off. I much prefer a profound (not corny) message that’s coupled with a student’s perspective of what lies ahead…</p>
<p>I’ve heard some really great analogies, metaphors, similes and refrains in speeches that make them very memorable.</p>
<p>But in all honesty, that probably was from one or two speeches since most students that I’ve heard haven’t been that great of writers.</p>
<p>Should have some that make people laugh and also be on a shorter side. If it is not entertaining, people will not listen, if they hear that people are lughing, they will pay attention.</p>
<p>I don’t know the formula, but I wish someone would define it and send it to Vanderbilt Chancellor Nick Zeppos before I have to sit through another of his speeches in 2011. He seems to be SUCH a nice man and an excellent administrator, but his speech last week was way too long and was uninspiring. Many of the parents at D’s sorority reception afterwards were commenting on the length and nature of the speech. I guess he is proof that none of us can do it all!
Actually, Marian’s comment that nobody comes to hear the speaker would be the best advice for most commencement speakers, though we had Doris Kearns Goodwin for Senior Day last Thursday and she was wonderful.</p>
<p>Last year, one of my daughter’s classmates parents arranged for a banner plane to flyover with a message of congratulations during the graduation ceremony. It happened while the valedictorian’s speech. It was pretty annoying and I am guessing that her family was upset about it . The plane circled several times and drowned out the entire speech.
I like to hear the speeches as long as they are short, sweet with a little humor.</p>
<p>short, funny, and if delivered by a high school kid, it should sound like it came from a high school kid. (avoid cliches, and…um… religion). In our public high school a couple of years ago (we’re firmly entrenched in the Bible Belt), the salutatorian’s speech went from predictable to her own testimonial about her Lord, Jesus Christ. About half the people in the venue applauded, the other half squirmed uncomfortably and muttered under their breath. Val’s speech followed and was short, funny, and was cheered loudly when it started, “We’re Done!”</p>
<p>my step daughter’s high school salutatorian used the podium last year to grip about how she should have been the val and it was the school board’s politics that made her #2…poor taste and judgement in my opinion.</p>
<p>Very poor taste, but unfortunately it is not uncommon. </p>
<p>The other thing is don’t be the family that doesn’t follow the instruction not to clap. It really adds on time to the ceremony, and as soon as the 1st family breaks it, you can be sure everybody else will continue.</p>
<p>Our high school didn’t have valedictorians, but one of the boys who spoke made the most awesome speech. He did the traditional stuff about commencement meaning “beginning”, and then made some good jokes.</p>
<p>We had (public high school) uniforms that everyone hated. My favorite line in his speech was “We are moving on to a place where khakis and white polo shirts are no longer a fashion statement!”</p>
<p>Every single graduate applauded that line.</p>
<p>That’s the only thing I honestly remember, but I remember really enjoying both of the speeches made by students (although I was friends with both of them, so I was biased).</p>
<p>While I agree with the short and somewhat funny I disagree that no one wants to hear it. Perhaps because we live in a small town where everyone knows everyone and has since kindergarten or before, just about everyone listens and pays attention to the speech. This actually makes it more stressful. My daughter is the salutatorian and has already been told that she “better” be good because last years’ was not so good and the valedictorian is not a good speaker so the pressure is on. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>My HS graduation speech (when dinosaurs roamed) was the 10 person a cappella group singing a rousing rendition of Sha Na Na’s Get a Job, after being told, “I have one piece of advice for all of you”…after the song, came “class dismissed”…</p>
<p>There wasn’t a dry eye in the place whether from laughing or crying. And nearly 35 years later the memory still makes me smile.</p>
<p>My D’s IB class graduated together with the regular seniors from the high school the IB program was housed in. The two valedictorians and salutatorians were each seated on the platform during the ceremony. The valedictorian of the regular class made his speech into a person testimony about not only his relationship with Jesus Christ but about the ills of the public school system that doesn’t allow God, prayer, etc. It was especially awkward considering the val and sal for the IB class was Hindu and Jewish respectively.</p>
<p>I’m all for short and funny. When my oldest d graduated, the val read Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen.” All of it. At first we thought she was just going to riff off the first page, or the second page, or the third. Nope! She read the whole thing. Why don’t I remember it being that long when I used to read it to my kids?</p>
<p>My middle d made one of the grad speeches. It was pretty generic - it quoted Confucius and Walt Disney and, yes, Doctor Suess. It included a well-received joke about the lack of snow days awarded by the retiring superintendent. It was a proud moment for me in part because of what she didn’t say. She’d been deeply unhappy in high school, but left all of that home, worked to find the positive aspects of her experience, and made a speech she thought her classmates and their families would want to hear. I could not have been that classy. Oh, and it was short! Under 3 minutes.</p>
<p>I haven’t had to sit through any graduation speeches since my own graduations. I do remember two years ago that talk was that the Val gave a “typical” speech but the Sal’s speech was supposedly the best speech anyone had ever heard. There was so much buzz that I felt sorry for the Val and her parents.</p>
<p>We had 8th grade graduation…did y’all? The top 3 in the class had to do something in the ceremony. No. 1 was a boy and he got first pick so he chose to lead the pledge of allegiance. I was No. 2 and chose to do the welcome. No. 3 had to do the farewell to grade school. She wrote a poem and it was un-intentionally hilarious. I wish I had a copy. It began:</p>
<p>A little work and a little play
And now it’s Graduation Day.</p>
<p>And it ended:</p>
<p>And even high school may not be
The end as far as I can see.</p>
<p>Edit, edit and then edit some more. Too often when people feel pressure to give a good speech it turns into a long speech. I’d tell my kid to forget what anyone else has said and just go for it.</p>