fandomhigh | Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2008, Saturday Afternoon (Part I)

Entry tags:

!event: graduation

Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2008, Saturday Afternoon (Part I)

The sun was shining over the front lawn of the school (except for the part of the bleachers covered by an awning, in case anyone with sun issues had shown up), and the temperature had thankfully turned out to be perfect for the occasion. There was a stage placed prominently on the lawn, set up with a podium and a number of heavy metal chairs for the administration and guests. In front of the stage were platforms with more of the metal chairs; they'd been painted blue and gold, and were sitting empty and waiting for the arrival of the class of 2008. There were bleachers on each side of the platforms, for students, family, friends, alumni, and residents of the town who wanted to come and watch.

Alas, it was time for another class to graduate.

[OOC: ~~If you ping in before the OCD is over, I will end you and all that you love. Ahem.~~ OCD is done, go and rock out! This post is for audience mingling and general graduation stuff. The requisite WTF-y part of graduation will be posted later. Like last year, it'll be kind of hard to miss the events of the second post, so you might want to hold off an any post-graduation posts for a while to avoid being Jossed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

La la la.

Please wait until she has posted her speech before replying.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Fandom High's 2008 graduation ceremony," Zoe said, smiling out at the audience, and at the graduates. "This has been a long, strange year, and that's saying something considering how things usually go around here. It's been a year of loss, particularly in the case of losing one of our own students, but it's been a year of good too. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed since we said goodbye to the class of 2007, and I want to make sure that this year's graduates are proud of what they've accomplished in that time.

"To all the parents and friends and other family members out there, I want you to know that I'm proud of your seniors, and I hope you are as well. Every time something happens here, I try to remind the students to look to adults for guidance in what to do, and how to go forward, and it makes me feel good to know that these seniors are going to be the ones that others look up to in the future. It's an honor that I think all of them deserve. To the seniors, enjoy this time. Today is your day, and I look forward to seeing what you do with your futures. Thank you."

Please wait until he has posted his speech before replying.

Hades looked thrilled to be there. Really. He leaned against the podium and took the microphone. "Hey, Hades, Vice Principal, God of the Dead, Lord of the Underworld, thanks for comin' out. I could give the graduates a speech, but believe me, between the people up here? They'll be sick of it by the end of the day. So instead of wasting my time telling you all how great life after school is going to be (it's not, by the way), I'm going to talk to all the parents out there.

I'm a guy of few words, so I'll keep this short. Remember, no matter what they decide to do from now on, no matter when they want to leave home and where they want to go and who they want to get into trouble with and even how crazy they seem talking about stuff they've seen in Fandom," yes, this coming from the blue guy with his head on fire, "you sent them here. It's all your fault. Remember that and you'll get along fine. Graduates, it's been a blast. I'm sure you'll all make names for yourselves and one day, someone might even remember what those names are." That someone wouldn't be Hades. "Give 'em hell."

Please wait until she has posted her speech before replying.

Harriet stepped up to the podium, standing for a moment as she smiled out at the audience. "I never thought I would find myself in a place like Fandom," she began, tuning to address the graduates, "and I dare say most of you were the same. It is an island, and a school, like no other.

Here, you have shared laughter and sorrow and terror. You have overcome dangers and fought together, strived to overcome challenges that exist nowhere else, and together, you have done amazing things.

When you leave here, whether it be today or next week or next month, each of you will travel in your own direction. You will begin to shape your own future. When you leave here, you will take a part of Fandom with you, the core of what you have learned here and who you have learned to be. You take with you everything you have done and everything you have been, singly and together.

Graduates of 2008, it has been an honour and a privilege to be your Dean. Go forth and lead magnificent lives, each and every one of you. There is nothing you can't do."

Edited 2008-05-03 08:15 (UTC)

"Excellent speech, Dean Cougar!" Barney called from the stands. Hey, it never hurt to kiss up to future conquests.

Please wait until they have posted their speech before replying.

"Ladies, gentlemen, Principal Washburn of the impressive physique, Vice Principal guy with the hair, Dean Cougar, faculty, students, invited guests, uninvited guests, graduates of the Class of 2008. My name is Chuck Norris and Chuck Norris is here today to give you an inspirational talk that you'll remember throughout your years, no matter how hard you try to forget. That's the consequence of listening to Chuck Norris.

You managed to stay in school despite the adversity of wedgies and homework and that one kid who always smells not quite right. Now it's time to get out there and make a name for yourself. One day you might even have a reputation to rival Chuck Norris' and maybe you too can order a Big Mac at Burger King and get one without question. Well, no, not really because there can be only one Chuck Norris, but you can try your best and fail and still be satisfied with your noble efforts.

People ask Chuck Norris how Chuck Norris became so successful. The answer is to be Chuck Norris. If you can't be that, be like Chuck Norris. Why? Because paper beats rock, rock beats scissors and scissors beat paper, but Chuck Norris beats all 3 at the same time.

Thank you for your attention and Chuck Norris wishes you the best of luck for the future."

Please wait until she has posted her speech before replying.

Lana smiled out at her friends in the audience. She was nervous enough that her hands shook as she held the speech she'd prepared, but she was making a valiant effort not to show it.

"I'm honored to be able to stand here before you today," she started, "but also a little sad. I imagine that feeling is the same for many of the other graduates. I've had a wonderful three years at Fandom High and while part of me feels ready to move on to my next adventure, part of me wishes I never had to leave. We've learned a great many things here that we never would have had the opportunity to learn elsewhere. We've made friends we would never have met otherwise, experienced things that many people never will in their entire lifetimes, and learned that, no matter how different others may seem from us, in some ways we are all alike."

She paused, looking down at her notes for a second. "We all have hopes and dreams, things we are proud of and things we wish we had done differently. I know that I, personally, have learned more about myself than I ever imagined and have been challenged to do things I never thought I'd be able to do. My hope for this class and for everyone else who comes after is that we continue to learn and grow and challenge ourselves to become the best possible versions of ourselves, whatever that may be for each of us. Thank you all and good luck in whatever you do."

Willow cheered loudly for Lana's speech.

Parker clapped, remembering her own graduation, and smiled.

Billy clapped, and grinned.

Please wait until she has posted her speech before replying.

River watched the audience in silence for a few seconds. Then she spoke: "This is the end. One might consider it a beginning, but that would require some knowledge of the future, at least if one is to specify what it is a beginning of. For me, still uncertain." There was a long pause.

"Will therefore cling to the past for a little longer. Too many names to mention, quite a few of them no longer here, all of them part of the island. I used to live on a spaceship. Sometimes I long for the silent, deadly places that lack gravity, that makes all directions possible. The state of most of most universes. I came here in an attempt to move backwards. Take a step back and change direction. It didn't work, a foolish thing to expect. But the new course was set and I could not have mapped it out from where I was. Step into another universe and all navigation needs to be reevaluated. New steps and new dances. Other bodies and minds to interact with."

There was another pause, this one even longer. "Told you my story, but I believe it applies to others. Although explosions are undesirable, this place can be rebuilt if there is need. Some paths will diverge here, but the map has been made, the course have been set. This is the point of origin. Even if some of us will prosper and live to die of old age, and some will die young, our limbs torn from our bodies, nothing will change that fact."

Willow stared, then applauded anyway. After all, living in Fandom and Sunnydale had taught Willow that it wasn't like River was wrong.

Grim as usual. But also poetic. Parker couldn't help but smile as she applauded, albeit wistfully. So damn proud, she thought at River. Wonderful job.

Billy didn't know if he understood all of that, but what he had, he liked and appreciated. And truth be told, he liked that there were people like River, who were plugged in a little differently. Mankind needed folks like that. You know, ones that didn't want to take over the world.

Please wait until he has posted his speech before replying.

Peter looked around at his classmates and the assorted guests before starting to speak. You didn't speak until there was dead silence, General Oreius had taught him that.

"I've been honoured the past two years to be the classmate and comrade in arms of all of you," he said, addressing the senior class. "It's been a long and always interesting journey that we've been on, and, to be trite, it's safe to say that none of us will ever forget Fandom and the people we've met here." His eyes settled on Willow for a long moment then he stood up even straighter. "So I suppose that's what I'd say - and I'll say it quickly, what to take with you. It's not the dinosaur and troll and children invasions that make this school, this island special. It's the brothers - and sisters - in arms who will stand up for anything, yield for nothing, and run full speed into a brick wall if it would help a friend. I'm honoured to have been part of this class and this school, and that's something that will never leave me."

"Stay true, all of you, stay honourable, and do you ever need a blade in a hand and a friend at your side, call upon me."

Peter grinned, apparently done with the serious part. "And if you forget everything else, remember this. Stickbugs RULE Always!"

A large section of the audience rose up and applauded and cheered. A banner shot up proclaiming "STICKBUGS FOREVER!"

This was then followed by a chant of "STICK-BUGS! STICK-BUGS! STICK-BUGS!"

Granted that portion of the audience was just Jamie Madrox duplicates but that's not important.

Willow grinned a big ol' grin when Peter looked at her, then facepalmed when he got to the end bit.

Well if he was a dork, at least he was her dork.

Parker laughed and snapped a picture, then applauded hugely. Who said kings had to be boring orators?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fandom High Graduation Ceremony, Class of 2008, Saturday Afternoon (Part I)

Speeches!

Principal Washburn's Speech

Re: Principal Washburn's Speech

Vice Principal Hades' Speech

Re: Vice Principal Hades' Speech

Harriet Jones, Dean of Students' Speech

Re: Harriet Jones, Dean of Students' Speech

Re: Harriet Jones, Dean of Students' Speech

Guest Speaker's Speech

Re: Guest Speaker's Speech

Valedictorian Speech - Lana Lang

Re: Valedictorian Speech - Lana Lang

Re: Valedictorian Speech - Lana Lang

Re: Valedictorian Speech - Lana Lang

Re: Valedictorian Speech - Lana Lang

Valedictorian Speech - River Tam

Re: Valedictorian Speech - River Tam

Re: Valedictorian Speech - River Tam

Re: Valedictorian Speech - River Tam

Re: Valedictorian Speech - River Tam

Student Council President Speech - Peter Pevensie

Re: Student Council President Speech - Peter Pevensie

Re: Student Council President Speech - Peter Pevensie

Re: Student Council President Speech - Peter Pevensie

Re: Student Council President Speech - Peter Pevensie