As valedictorian, she should be smart enough to know better.
However, they gave her no guidelines and didn't preview the speech, so they were kind of asking for trouble.

The speech of the Valedictorian is one of the few times that someone that geeky can tell the whole school what they think with getting the snot beaten out of them before they can finish. I am surprised that most of those speeches do devolve into cussing out the football team.

The Stealth Hippopotamus: I am surprised that most of those speeches do devolve into cussing out the football team.

I was Valedictorian and on the football team. Not all football players are knuckledragging oafs.

I think she knew exactly what she was doing. Delay the vetting of the speech with the hopes the school admins would trust her judgement.

Mentioning God and/or Jesus in a speech doesn't bother me so much. Telling people you should accept him or burn in Hell is an entirely different matter. I wish we had the real text instead of just "...urged fellow students to find Jesus Christ, and warned them of consequences if they do not." I want to know what she said, not what the paper says she said. If you know what I'm saying ;-)

sepuku2: Too bad for him the second amendment still allows that.

The second? Was he firing a gun to emphasize his points?

EvilEgg I was Valedictorian and on the football team. Not all football players are knuckledragging oafs


For being a Valedictorian your reading comprehension is failing. I said "most" are. I did not say all. I understand that (like myself) there are people out there who are blessed on may fronts. Most people are shock when they realize that I am this damn good looking and brilliant to boot. Then it turns to envy.
Also you could have knuckledragging oaf as a Valedictorian. Remember being Valedictorian does not mean you are a great student it just means that you are the best the school has got.

Sepuku2
The 2nd amendment allows that? In what sense, that if someone comes up and tries to stop her she can legally carry a gun and cap them?

In anycase, for everyone who thinks this wasn't "much of a big deal", I'm sure a lot of people would have also acted "offended" if the validictorian was a voracious atheist or muslim and decided to spend a majority of a speech espousing how everyone should believe in those concepts of belief.

Honestly though, can anyone find me a story of a student other than a Christian needing to "spread the gospel" in a public forum such as a commencement speech?

And from what it sounds like, she was going overboard, it wasn't people getting irate over a general "I thank my faith in God for getting me to this point" mention.

It's one thing to make references or give thanks, it's another to proselytize.

The Stealth Hippopotamus: Most people are shock when they realize that I am this damn good looking and brilliant to boot. Then it turns to envy.

There's no picture in your profile, so I cannot judge your looks.

Also you could have knuckledragging oaf as a Valedictorian.

Not the case in my highschool, we had a sucky football team. :)

sepuku2: So an atheist on the superintendent's staff gets wigged out at the mention of Christ in a Christian valedictorians speech? Too bad for him the second amendment still allows that.

-I saw nowhere that anyone's, besides the valedictorian's, beliefs were mentioned.
-The First Amendment comes before the Second, which BTW, guarantees the right to bear arms. Were you saying the valedictorian was packing?
-The Courts have long upheld the idea that large portions of the Bill of Rights don't apply to students in a public school.

Whatever, the nerd worked hard give him or her their moment in the sun.

This year the Valedictorian spoke about hard work, dedication and success...things that were important to her. That's what the speech is all about, is it not?

My son's speech was short and sweet...pretty much were outta here!

dletter Honestly though, can anyone find me a story of a student other than a Christian needing to "spread the gospel" in a public forum such as a commencement speech?

Never happened. There is no way a muslim or atheist could ever be a Valedictorian in this racist country. Next thing you know you would be saying that a woman could be Valedictorian! We all know that is just plain silly.

I would love to see the fallout from a Muslim valedictorian if he'd given a little speech along the same lines.

Today, the infidels feel strong in their rich country. But Allah protects us, and those who do not follow Mohammed will burn in His wrath! Allah Akbar!

hillbillypharmacist: Or kids in Fred Phelps' clan! But they're all home schooled. :-(

SockMonkeyHolocaust Whatever, the nerd worked hard give him or her their moment in the sun.

I like it. The grades are turned it, so let yer ripe! Tell them how much time they have and let them loose. Just make sure that they dont break any laws(ie. cause a roit) and make sure to tell the kids starting next year that they will be given the same freedom. I may have actually studied if I knew I got 5-10 minutes at the end of the year to tell the administration exactly what I thought of them.
You will still have to keep it clean, after all there are small children there, but other then that go for it.

FTFA:
Of course the outstanding student finished her speech in time.

Interesting editorial commentary from the reporter...why "of course?"

At the most basic level tho: it's a valedictorian speech.

Given the rate of grade inflation in many schools these days that title can be awarded to the student who shiat his pants the fewest times and beat up his classmates with a pillowcase full of doorknobs. Add in that -- like many people -- I forgot the speech delivered at my graduation before it was even completed (something about "striving forward" and "responsibility for the future" and "Def Leppard will rule forever" I think) and this can be safely filed away under "meh."

The Stealth Hippopotamus: I like it. The grades are turned it, so let yer ripe! Tell them how much time they have and let them loose. Just make sure that they dont break any laws(ie. cause a roit) and make sure to tell the kids starting next year that they will be given the same freedom. I may have actually studied if I knew I got 5-10 minutes at the end of the year to tell the administration exactly what I thought of them.
You will still have to keep it clean, after all there are small children there, but other then that go for it.

That's what I am saying. The Valedictorian is going to go on and go to college, get good grades and then get crushed under the wheels of corporate machinery where the archetypical good-looking jock who went to college knowing how to network will be their VP for all the TRUTH the nerd spewed during that one time when everyone's eyes were on them.

hillbillypharmacist: I would love to see the fallout from a Muslim valedictorian if he'd given a little speech along the same lines.

Today, the infidels feel strong in their rich country. But Allah protects us, and those who do not follow Mohammed will burn in His wrath! Allah Akbar!

Yep. Hypocracy is not the study of Medicine.

As valedictorian, she should be smart enough to know better

In most states, yes. However, to become valedictorian, she only had to be smarter than a school full of Floridiots.

Two years before I graduated the Valedictorian gave a speech about how much our school sucked and didn't prepare us academically for the challenges of college and real life. It was true but it was the first time anyone had said it. It was funny as hell.

All student speaking was banned for 10 years afterwards until my brother's class when 6 students died in a hunting camp fire. My brother got to stand up and talk about his friends.