Valedictorians have fun with speech to grads

Polo co-valedictorians Rachel Ports, Logan Douglass, and Matthew Deets try to remain serious while delivering their remarks to the class of 2008 and the audience. (Chris Johnson/OCN)

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Before members of the Polo High School Class of 2008 reached for their diplomas Sunday, the class valedictorians decided to have some fun with their speeches. "The three of us are bonded by one thing," said valedictorian Logan Douglass. "We did not know about writing a speech. Through the wonders of Google, we found tips to write an unforgettable graduation speech. 'Hot Dog,' we thought, that can't fail." Tip one, as valedictorian Rachel Ports said, was to not mention that Green Day song because it has been used for everything. "And because it is a better break-up song in disguise," said valedictorian Matthew Deets. The song they were not mentioning was "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," however, Douglass thought he should mention the song for the audience. Tip two was to tell stories. Ports' memory was the basketball games. She would never forget the fans and the outfits they wore to the girls games, including the short shorts. "And who could forget dodgeball? I couldn't throw a dodgeball to save my life," Douglass said. Tip three was to use inside jokes sparingly. "With that said, we would like to not mention Euchre," Douglass said. "Or AP Physics in general," said Ports. "Or the boys track locker room slip and slide," Deets said. The final tips were to talk about values and memories. "We learned about our values, teamwork, and friendship," Ports said. Fifty-six students graduated in the Class of 2008.