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My best friend is for sure (well 99.9%) to be valedictorian of our class and we were just looking for some tips on what she should mention in her speech. And if anyone knows or can give some examples that'd be really great!

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 11:23 pm: Edit

Ackowledgements thanking her supporters.
Some use metaphors and relate them to life lessons (for ex: "the journey is as important as the destination"...you can use a boat to depict that, I guess. Of course, this means the process of earning a 4.0 GPA is as important as the ultimate attainment of that GPA....and learning has been a significant process and that cramming for a test without remembering any of the stuff after the test is not worth it). Start with something basic like that and then try to make it extraordinary. Make sure the thoughts of the speech are what your friend would be comfortable saying in front of the graduation crowd...in other words, they have to be meaningful to the speaker. If it sounds cheesy, skip it (chances are you would feel uncomfortable saying them out loud anyway...just try to imagine if it will sound cheesy).

Oh, maybe another approach could be telling a story you remember from high school and saying how that affected your life and how it can affect others. maybe your first day of school when you made new friends and never thought you'd ever be friends with someone like that? learning new challenges and finding out new things?

But, this is not professional advice lol. It's all up to you...just don't worry too much about it and come across natural to the audience. Your words should be about what you really believe in, not contrived just to impress others.

By Me1 (Me1) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 05:38 pm: Edit

I'm probably going to be #1 or #2. (Both 1 & 2 give speeches @ my school). I will have to make up something stupid, b/c I REALLY hate my hs (it's all football & cheerleader centered & nothing else gets any respect as well as the fact that it's filled w/rich snobs who don't appreciate a single thing).

By Ml41588 (Ml41588) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 08:03 pm: Edit

me1: it's your last chance to express how u really feel about the school, so be as obnoxious, rude, and inconsiderate as you want...you deserved it!

By Metra (Metra) on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 01:39 am: Edit

Make sure its not boring. Thats all i can say. All valedectorians just say what anyone would say at graduation or they try thinking of clever things, but they dont come out very clever. Put a bunch of jokes in your speech. Try not to let anyone fall asleep.

By Entropy (Entropy) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 04:18 pm: Edit

Most Val speeches are stupid. Achieving the highest GPA in a high school class isn't a valid reason to recite some cheesy allegorically speech. If you are going to write a speech that is meaningful and memorable, right about your own personal experiences and the things you have learned in life through relationships and events. Stay away from that "Go out in the real world and find your destiny" crap because it is so cliché. People are going to find their destiny whether if it's becoming a doctor, or becoming a crack head, that's just the way life works.

By Justin185 (Justin185) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 04:39 pm: Edit

I had to write a speech as the salutatorian of my class in 2001. I wrote about the hard work that I had to do to achieve my position. Not only was I 2nd in my class, I was well known and respected through the community. In my second half of the speech I delivered a message to my class, telling them to step beyond the protective walls of the high school and out into the real world. Many of them still behaved like children. The ending passage was about moving on and forgetting your childhood mistakes, but not what you have learned.

By Poutingminotaur (Poutingminotaur) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 05:43 pm: Edit

i was valedictorian of my class... but i didnt give a speech. although we still rank the students, my school has abandoned the emphasis on valedictorian, salutatorian etc to discourage cut throat competition. for graduation speech, we simply had sign ups and try outs in search of the best speakers. i thought that was a great idea, because it gives the chance for other students out there who actually have some important messages or who are great speakers to deliver their thoughts. we had great, thoughtful, meaningful speeches instead of the trite "the world is now in your hands" crap

By Momof2 (Momof2) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 06:41 pm: Edit

The best part of our graduation speeches, to me, was about how in the next phase of their lives, each person would have the chance to "re-invent" themselves as the person they REALLY wanted to be. The choices they make will determine the person they become - how to dress, who to run with, how to divide their time between work and play, etc. He urged everyone to give some thought to this image now and decide what they want. That way it would be easier than making snap decisions based on the excitement of the moment. Well....that was the idea, anyway, but it sounded better in his words. Of all the graduation speeches I've heard over the years, that was the best practical suggestion. Hope this makes sense - it's but a shadow of the original.