Tuesday, May 22, 2007

MHS Grad Speaker Uproar

     
 

So I am out and about today, at the school, and the post office, and the talk of the town is how inappropriate the Grad Speaker was. The speaker by the way, was Fraser Tuff, and I thought it was excellent. He spoke to the kids, (which was great) and used some humour, some bluntness, and a very awesome photo, to engage them.

He started off by putting a photo up of him in High School...super long hair, a stash, well basically he looked like a banger. He said that he didn't care about school and that his marks were less than exceptional. Then he says that his point of all that was that if they would choose "that guy" (referring to the photo) to come back and speak, then things were looking good for the rest of them. He compared himself to some of the great grad speakers we have had in the past...Burns Alston and Hayley Wickenheiser, and how he really didn't fit that caliber. He was "keeping it real". He offered some good advice, and actually ended up taking the mic out and turning to face the graduates. It was very good, and short & sweet.

I guess people are used to the long, boring speakers that tell the kids to do a,b, & c, in order to suceed. He told them that sometimes things are crappy, and to tough it out. He also told them to do something they love, and if they don't love what they are doing...try something else.

Anyways, it just made me laugh at all the people that were so disgusted with it. Bloody typical!

 
     

3 Comments:

     
 
nermalcat said...

NO WAY! If I had known Fraser was speaking at Grad I would have driven up there to hear it! Dang, now I'm mad I missed it. How excellent that they chose him to speak at Grad! It was totally delightful to see Fraser at my 10 year reunion and see the path his life has taken since his banger/drop-out era. Fraser is cool. Oh those Magrath ninnies!

May 30, 2007 3:46 PM  
dar said...

I was very impressed that they chose him. It was SO good, I can't even express how good it was. And I didn't even really know him before, so I can see how it would be even better if I had known him..back then. I have only seen him at celebrations, and heard him on the radio. I understand that there is a whole radio persona that he is trying to keep, but he really should let people see how real he is. I think that is why his grad speech was so enjoyable... because it was real. Not like some of the other "well - established" and "sucessfull" speakers in the past.

It is all for the kids, and I think they hit the mark on this one.

(All the prudes in town are still freaking out about it too. Disturbing and Funny!)

May 31, 2007 1:32 PM  
amos said...

That sounds like Magrath! I know you didn't grow up there Dar, but you live there now and know how it goes. It hasn’t changed. That is just how it is - and if you do something different, they talk about it. I'm sure Fraser's speech was exactly what kids need to hear these days! I wouldn’t say everything about Magrath sucks, it was just that there wasn’t much room for creativity there.

The thing is, for the rest of your life, what you did in High School really doesn’t matter that much anyway? It doesn’t have to define who you are, but if you were allowed to explore options (other than jocks and academics), at an earlier age I bet you could figure out the rest of your life a little quicker! And that is where the size of that school and the close mindedness comes in.

In fact, even after I picked my grad picture out, they changed it on me because I wasn’t smiling in it. They needed a “smile” in the year book? Suck on it! That is just one small thing that represents what you were talkin’bout! Hey at least they let me graduate - I guess I should be thankful!

June 26, 2007 1:06 AM  
 
     

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