First, I understand that this is totally my ds's deal. He is the graduating senior. He is the valedictorian. I know he will write his own speech and I expect he will do a very good job.
But what I'm looking for is a bit of perspective on how an audience might view a valedictory address in this situation.
It's a very very small school, a K-12 school in a fairly isolated village of 600. His graduating class looks like it will consist of four students. None has attended the high school for more than two consecutive years, they've all taken non-traditional pathways through life and education thus far, they have a range of skeptical and/or nihilistic views on institutional education, have almost nothing in common, and almost no shared history together. My ds is the only one of the four intending to go on to post-secondary studies.
In this village it's typical that the graduating class has mostly been together since kindergarten, and the community knows each one of them intimately. My ds has lived here since birth but was unschooled with very little academic structure until Grade 11. One of the other graduates attended this school for a few years, but moved away for several years, was not in school for a while and just moved back as a mature student living on her own this past fall. Another moved here with her boyfriend two years ago after enduring a pretty disastrous home life in a big city with her mom from whom she is now estranged. The third is the interim principal's son, who moved here 8 months ago, and who will be moving away with his family in June.
So ... none of the traditional high school or community memes fits this group of grads. They're not "leaving home and commmunity" or "heading out onto new independent adventures" or "completing a long journey." The grad ceremony is more about fulfilling community tradition than anything, but it has to fit the reality of this graduating class.
Can anyone help brainstorm ideas for an appropriate theme and tone for a speech in this situation?
Miranda
But what I'm looking for is a bit of perspective on how an audience might view a valedictory address in this situation.
It's a very very small school, a K-12 school in a fairly isolated village of 600. His graduating class looks like it will consist of four students. None has attended the high school for more than two consecutive years, they've all taken non-traditional pathways through life and education thus far, they have a range of skeptical and/or nihilistic views on institutional education, have almost nothing in common, and almost no shared history together. My ds is the only one of the four intending to go on to post-secondary studies.
In this village it's typical that the graduating class has mostly been together since kindergarten, and the community knows each one of them intimately. My ds has lived here since birth but was unschooled with very little academic structure until Grade 11. One of the other graduates attended this school for a few years, but moved away for several years, was not in school for a while and just moved back as a mature student living on her own this past fall. Another moved here with her boyfriend two years ago after enduring a pretty disastrous home life in a big city with her mom from whom she is now estranged. The third is the interim principal's son, who moved here 8 months ago, and who will be moving away with his family in June.
So ... none of the traditional high school or community memes fits this group of grads. They're not "leaving home and commmunity" or "heading out onto new independent adventures" or "completing a long journey." The grad ceremony is more about fulfilling community tradition than anything, but it has to fit the reality of this graduating class.
Can anyone help brainstorm ideas for an appropriate theme and tone for a speech in this situation?
Miranda