As the final days of high school arrive for Owatonna High School seniors, the rush to make final touches on the 2016 OHS graduation ceremony is a go. Nonetheless, before all of that, speakers have to be chosen. With students having to sit through the long graduation ceremony, speakers are what the students somewhat intentively listen to. The stakes are high for the chosen speaker, but nonetheless, it should not be discouraging because speaking in front of the senior class is no doubt an honor.

For seniors who want to be one of the commencement speakers, here are the steps that they need to go through. First, any senior can find the sign-up sheet located on Ms. Cheryl Summer’s desk in the front office. The deadline to sign-up as a speaker is May 16. There will be other seniors who have applied as well, meaning there will be competition. After signing-up, students must create a three-to-five minute speech giving a farewell to the senior class of 2016, in which confidence is important. Take Abraham Lincoln’s advice when he said, “When I get ready to talk to people I spend two-thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one-third thinking about what I want to say.”

Since senior are going to have to sit there and listen to the speakers, the question on what they would like to hear was asked. Senior, Khadija Fakrudin said, “Talk about the future, college and how to look at ahead of time for less stress and be prepared for the future ahead of you.”

Preparation is key because one must audition on May 18 to claim a spot as one of the two speakers chosen. Tryouts will take place in the small group forum. Once at the audition, students will be judged and chosen by the principals, teachers and students of all grade levels. The selected student will be chosen at random and as the judges are selected they must complete a form before they see the students audition. The sooner students sign up, the more time they have to practice their speech. When asked on what advice she would give to students, Principal Secretary, Mrs. Summers said, “Make sure you are professional and can speak in front of your student body as well as have good grammar while speaking. Do whatever it takes to give a great speech and good luck to the students who sign-up.”

There is no doubt that speaking to the whole senior class is frightening, but props have to be given to the seniors who have the guts to do so. As Roger Love once said, “All speaking is public speaking whether it’s to one person or a thousand.” Good luck to the seniors signing up and auditioning to become one of the two speakers that will speak at the class of 2016’s graduation.