But the 18-year-old -- who plans to major in computer science when she begins classes at the University of Central Florida in the fall -- said she was still disappointed she could not speak at graduation as valedictorians traditionally do. valedictorian go through. The prospect made her nervous, she You're going to do big things!!" The video quickly got lots of views, some from those who'd been at University's graduation and were puzzled why the valedictorian's speech -- listed in the program -- was skipped over. Tangipahoa Schools Superintendent Mark Kolwe said Jones and his family were reminded of the rule three times, along with 13 other graduates. person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. said. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. After her commencement, Kriya Naidu, the top-ranked student at the east Orange school, stood in her bedroom and made a video of herself delivering the speech she could not give in front of her classmates. Jones told KHOU that administrators said 'they had to take my gown from me', and they did just that, also taking away his cap. Your sports-only digital subscription does not include access to this section. I again commend your daughter for her outstanding accomplishments, and congratulate her parents as well.". Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. rumors all week that Man would not speak but were unsure why or Many have speculated that school officials made the decision because Naidu wrote about immigration in her speech. “‘The young people will win’ is a mantra that I’m sure many of you have heard if you’ve been attentive to the media recently,” Bales said in his speech, which was shared in full by Cincinatti station WCPO. "I'm not here to talk about the speech, I'm Jones, who is also a father of a baby girl, said he normally had more facial hair along the sides of his face than what he showed up to graduation with. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, responded to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, shared in full by Cincinatti station WCPO, A Valedictorian Was Barred From Delivering His High School Graduation Speech. As we enter into the real world, we must remember that we have a voice.”, “‘The young people will win’ because we’re finished being complacent,” he added toward the end of his speech. "I appreciate the apology," she said, "but I don't want this to happen to any valedictorian.". The students were told to shave otherwise they wouldn't be able to participate with the class. each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. WCSD bans valedictorian with 5.3 GPA from speaking at graduation after principal objects to speech. In her email, Jenkins invited Naidu to deliver her speech at an upcoming Orange County School Board meeting and to "have it professionally recorded and posted to the district's website and shared on social media platforms.". "Every time they were knocked down, they got back up," she said. I’m honored to help share her words via this link w/you,” Rep. Eskamani wrote. In this case, they Get push notifications with news, features and more. "There's nothing wrong with the Jones (pictured), who said he stands by his decision, though he realizes that he will never get to have another high school graduation, will head to Southeastern Louisiana University, The local NAACP is looking into the matter and the chapter president Patricia Morris, said: 'His robe and cap were taken so he could not march, and that's just wrong.' of their friends and relatives. "I worked so hard on it.". 'For a young man that talented, and very academic, to hold a 4.0 and still manage to be a father to his child, the sky's the limit to me,' Davis told the station. she said. Naidu told WOFL that she worked hard on the speech for weeks before submitting her draft to school officials in April. Promotional Rates were found for your code. Andrew Jones, 18, showed up to his graduation from Amite High School in Louisiana, but was immediately turned away by school officials because he hadn't shaved his beard. A high school valedictorian in Wisconsin, USA, was barred from delivering his graduation speech after he wrote about his struggles of being gay. Jones said he hopes to either play professional sports or become a sports team trainer. student speaker was salutatorian Christine Maria Papastamelos. the 548 new graduates agreed with it. She's been admitted to the UCF's Burnett Honors College. University's graduation was Tuesday, just after the long Memorial Day weekend. An administrator called her mother a few hours before the 2 p.m. ceremony to say her daughter would not be allowed to deliver her speech because she did not record it ahead of time as requested. But just days before she was set to give her address, the assistant principal asked her to pre-record the speech. The 4.0 student told KHOU that 'every day of school I went with it, even more, I did shave'. Threats of harming another