Have President Obama Speak at Your High School Commencement

High School Graduation, that long awaited event that seems to have an equally long ceremony. There is the school song, speeches from the Salutatorian, Valedictorian, and of course the Principal. All standard and all oh so monotonous, and in my personal experience, very boring. What if on graduation day after the principal was introduced, he in turn introduced the President…yes the President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama. Think this is some strange political fantasy? Think that it can’t happen? Well in the words of our President, Yes It Can, and it will happen this spring at one public US high school. The White House and the Department of Education are giving public high schools the chance to compete to have President Obama speak  at their commencement ceremonies this spring. So just how do you go about winning? Well your school must demonstrate how it is working towards the President’s goal of the US having the highest proportion of college graduates by the year 2020. In addition the principal of your high school must go to www.whitehouse.gov/commencement and download the application form. The application includes four essay questions and the opportunity to include optional supplemental materials such as 2 min video clip highlighting the school’s character and culture and data to support the essay questions, such as charts and graphs on the school’s attendance rate, graduation rate, and college enrollment. So to the all the Visionaries still in high school, I encourage you to talk to your teachers and principals to get your school involved in this wonderful opportunity and hurry because the application deadline is March 15. Having the President speak at a Public high school graduation, now that is a change I can believe in.