Issue 2, Volume 2
The Freedom of Speech
Now, as the end
of the school year
approaches, there is one
thing that crosses
everyone’s minds, and
especially the graduating
class of eight graders:
In just a few short
weeks, we will be free
from the structure and
rigidity of the everyday
school schedule. But for
many eight graders, the
end of eight grade
means that in just a few
short weeks, we will
graduate from Driscoll
and leave with one final
statement—our
graduation speech. I’m
sure that anyone who
has been here long
enough to witness a
graduating class will
remember hearing the
speeches of all of the
students before them. I
certainly recall myself,
every year, watching as
these kids give one last
message before leaving
Driscoll. I myself
always imagined myself
up there; giving a speech
that conveyed my true
feelings about Driscoll
in a humorous (and of
course inoffensive)
fashion. I never, ever
would have guessed that
I would be forbidden
from speaking,
prohibited from leaving
Driscoll with the closing
June 14, 2007
speech that I had always
dreamed of.
Perhaps it is a
new, more modern style
of assuring the
principal’s authority
over the common
student, used by new,
more inexperienced
administrations.
Whatever it is, I was
absolutely shocked
when, a week after I
handed in a first draft of
my graduation speech, I
was told quite bluntly
that I simply would not
be allowed to read it at
graduation. I was open
to revising the speech to
make it more to the
fancy of the principal,
but even that was not
good enough. They had
to have total control. I
was told that the most I
could keep of my
original speech was one
or two sentences, and I
would have to write a
completely new speech
if I wanted to speak at
all at graduation. By the
time I was told of this
decision though, I had
only two days left to
write an entirely new
speech. I simply had no
time for this because of
my other commitments
to the school, and so I
was left with no options
other than to stay silent
and seated at my
graduation.
So keep that in
mind at this year’s
graduation. I’m not
saying that the speeches
that were accepted are
insincere, but that those
that weren’t give an
equally strong message
of Driscoll School. You
simply are not aloud to
speak your mind at
Driscoll School if your
beliefs differ from those
above you.
* * * * *
But the
wonderful thing about a
student-run newspaper
is, even if your teachers
and staff don’t want
your voice to be heard,
you can still publish
anything you want. So,
for anyone who wants to
know what it is that I
won’t be saying at
graduation, it’s only fair
that I publish the first
draft of the graduation
speech that I handed in
over a week ago.
Graduation Speech
First I’d like to
thank all of the people
who have made a
difference to me over
the years. But, that
would be boring and
insincere, so I won’t.
Driscoll has been – well
– an experience, that’s
for sure. I remember
coming here on my first
day, in second grade,
Issue 2, Volume 2
and thinking, “Wow!
This place
is…interesting.”
Driscoll has taught me
many things: the life
cycle of a caterpillar, the
history of ancient
Mesopotamia, my
multiplication tables for
at least 5 years straight,
and how to correctly use
a spork. But more
importantly, Driscoll has
taught me that authority
is meant to be
challenged, rules are
meant to be broken, and
bureaucracy to be
rebelled against. I
therefore thank all the
teachers who are sitting
out there, watching me,
who are thinking,
“Thank god that pest is
finally leaving”, for
teaching me that it is
possible to make a
difference, and that just
because someone’s
name has a fancy prefix,
I don’t have to bow
down to them.
When I first
came to Driscoll, I was
quiet and shy. A few
years passed; and I was
still very antisocial, but I
was also an obnoxious
smart aleck. One time,
our class was watching a
movie that I didn’t like,
and I was convinced that
I was being “forced
against my will” to
watch this movie. So, I
told my teacher I was
June 14, 2007
getting a drink of water,
and I ran off to the
library, where I spent
the rest of the period
away from the movie.
That was fun. In many
ways, I am sure that
today I am still the
obnoxious little smart
aleck from 5th grade, just
with a little more
confidence since I
started this cool new
thing called socializing.
Like this year, instead of
running off by myself,
some friends and I
corralled almost our
entire grade and
convinced them to sign a
letter we wrote to the
administration. Thus,
Driscoll has taught me
that if you try hard
enough, you can crush
the huge, sometimes
not-so-invisible wall that
divides authority from
the rest of the school. I
guess that’s what I’ve
gotten out of Driscoll:
I’ve learned that the
tortoise really can beat
the hare, the mouse can
save the lion, and that
anything is possible.
And so, to every
bureaucratic,
authoritative, rulemaking figure who
helped me to learn that
lesson (in other words,
everyone who I’ve ever
been an annoying little
nitwit to), I, most
sincerely, thank you.
By: Dagny Dukach
Animal of the Week:
Ostrich
-Ostriches cannot fly
-Ostriches skeletons
and fossils have been
found which date back
over 120 million
years, meaning that
ostriches are true
dinosaurs
-There are at least 2
million ostriches
worldwide
-Ostriches have the
most advanced
immune systems
known to mankind
-Ostriches can run at
up to 45 miles per
hour
-The ostrich is a
member of the ratite
family of birds
-Ostriches weigh 93 to
130 kg and stand
about eight feet tall -An Ostrich can live
up to 75 years