Abbey Marie
06-06-2013, 02:11 PM
Valedictorian Rips Up Preapproved Speech, Recites Prayer Instead
My high school graduation was so long ago (13 years to be exact) that I cannot recall one word that our valedictorian said in his speech.
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As well thought-out as the speech likely was, it did not become a news story. That's not the case with a valedictorian's speech at Liberty High School in Liberty, South Carolina. When Roy Costner IV approached the podium, he ripped up his preapproved speech. The crowd seemed a bit stunned, not knowing what to expect next. That's when Costner began reciting a prayer, the Lord's Prayer, word for word. Many students in the audience began applauding. The teachers and faculty members seated on the stage behind Costner did not visibly react.
So why did Costner choose this time to say a prayer? The stunt was apparently in protest of the new decision made by the Pickens County School District to no longer include prayer at graduation ceremonies. As you can hear from the students' applause, many of them agreed with Costner pulling the switcheroo and standing up for what he believed was right.
John Eby, a spokesperson for the Pickens County School District, said, "The bottom line is: We're not going to punish students for expressing their religious faiths." The YouTube video of Costner's prayer speech has been viewed more than 245,000 times so far since being uploaded just three days ago.
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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/valedictorian-rips-preapproved-speech-recites-prayer-instead-172941933.html?vp=1
So the school won't "punish" him. How nice of them. Note though that use of a prayer by a Valedictorian is prohibited.
Also note the reference to switching to a prayer with the pejorative term, "stunt".
My high school graduation was so long ago (13 years to be exact) that I cannot recall one word that our valedictorian said in his speech.
...
As well thought-out as the speech likely was, it did not become a news story. That's not the case with a valedictorian's speech at Liberty High School in Liberty, South Carolina. When Roy Costner IV approached the podium, he ripped up his preapproved speech. The crowd seemed a bit stunned, not knowing what to expect next. That's when Costner began reciting a prayer, the Lord's Prayer, word for word. Many students in the audience began applauding. The teachers and faculty members seated on the stage behind Costner did not visibly react.
So why did Costner choose this time to say a prayer? The stunt was apparently in protest of the new decision made by the Pickens County School District to no longer include prayer at graduation ceremonies. As you can hear from the students' applause, many of them agreed with Costner pulling the switcheroo and standing up for what he believed was right.
John Eby, a spokesperson for the Pickens County School District, said, "The bottom line is: We're not going to punish students for expressing their religious faiths." The YouTube video of Costner's prayer speech has been viewed more than 245,000 times so far since being uploaded just three days ago.
...
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/valedictorian-rips-preapproved-speech-recites-prayer-instead-172941933.html?vp=1
So the school won't "punish" him. How nice of them. Note though that use of a prayer by a Valedictorian is prohibited.
Also note the reference to switching to a prayer with the pejorative term, "stunt".