Graduation is quickly approaching, and the time has come for students to submit their auditions for graduation speeches. The school is asking that Cypress Creek seniors write an inspirational speech to their peers to potentially be read at graduation. Students have the ability to choose to write a speech for opening remarks, graduation address, or closing remarks at the end of the ceremony. The criteria for each speech is as follows:

For opening remarks, the speech should be one to two minutes with the purpose of welcoming and thanks guests for attending and an introduction to the ceremony.

The graduation address will be the most informal and longest speech of the three. The speech should be no longer than four minutes long with the intent of inspiring your fellow classmates and providing an optimistic view of the future.

The closing remarks (much like the opening remarks) should be about one to two minutes long. The purpose should be to close out the ceremony, take note that the closing remarks should not restate what was already said in the graduation address.

All speeches and applications will be due on Thursday, April 1. You can email them to Mrs. Clinkscale directly at [email protected] or you can drop off printed copies at the front desk. If you have any questions, feel free to email Mrs. Clinkscale.

While there is still a little less than a month before graduation speeches are due, writing one can be a little nerve-racking, so here are a few tips to help you write the best speech you can.

An important note to remember is to not make everything about you. If you end up getting chosen to say the speech, congratulations… But this speech is more about celebrating and inspiring everyone, not just yourself. That’s not to say you cannot throw in personal observations and stories, just connect them to the bigger picture.

Do not be too wordy with what you’re trying to say. You are standing up in front of thousands of people, don’t bore them by saying too much to put your point across. Keep it short and sweet. Think about how long you keep attention during a YouTube video or a movie, do you think your peers can keep that same attention span for your speech?

Inspire your fellow students, while your speech is about celebrating your peers, it is also about calling them to action. That being said, don’t say what is expected. If you are saying what the audience is expecting you to say, then they’ve already heard it. Be original, and speak from the heart.

Be specific when telling stories or expressing ideas, details make it more interesting. Without details, what you’re trying to convey comes off as boring and unrelatable. If you’re trying to tell a story, think about how much detail you can include.

Lastly, and probably the most important, be yourself. You’re speaking in front of people you have been going to school with for the past four years. These people already know you, don’t stand up on that stage trying to be someone you’re not. Be yourself, everyone is looking at you expecting to hear you.