As graduation season approaches, OH seniors receive an invitation to serve as the keynote speaker at graduation, with applications closing on Mar. 13.
“Anyone can be a keynote speaker as long as they’re representing themselves or their school in the right way,” said OH Assistant Principal Brian Cooney. “So it all opens up an opportunity for a kid who’s got a different experience to be able to stand in front of the graduating class and speak.”
According to the invitation sent to seniors by the OH administration, each speech must be submitted in a video format between two and three minutes. In that time frame, videos will be judged on the ability to communicate the overall theme, accuracy of facts, articulation, and delivery.
According to Cooney, judges will also pay attention to elements like body language, presentation, posture, poise, eye contact, voice inflection, and tone.
“I’m as excited as anyone is to graduate, and I want to celebrate that with the crowd with a mix of humorous but honest last couple of words,” said OH senior Katelyn Thilk, who plans to submit a keynote speaker proposal.
After being selected, Cooney said administration will work closely with the individual who is chosen, should anything need to be adjusted, like expanding or removing sections from the speech.
Thilk, who is continuing to work on her submission, is considering her speech content in advance of the Mar. 13 deadline. Another senior, Khali Parnell, is also considering submitting an application to be a speaker. According to Cooney, there are around 20 students who eventually submit an application.
“I’m not sure what I want to do with it just yet,” Thilk said. “[but] I know that I want my overall theme to be like ‘live in the moment [and] enjoy the little things as we move forward.’”
Howdy! My name is Liam Piekarczyk and I am a first year staff reporter and Photography Editor for 42Fifty. I'm in my senior year of high school. I am involved in the school's cross country, swim and dive, and track and field team. I am also an editor for the 25/26 reflector yearbook staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback for our publication!
