How to Make a Middle School Graduation Speech

Writing Your Graduation Speech

Greet the audience. A great way to start a graduation speech is by greeting the members of the audience. This includes fellow classmates, teachers, parents and family members, administrators, and the principal. You could say something like “Good afternoon Principal Jacobs, teachers, staff, family, and most importantly my fellow graduating class.”

Introduce yourself. Although your classmates and teachers will already know who you are, some parents and relatives in the audience may not. For example, you could say “My name is Melissa Smith and it is an honour to have the opportunity to speak at our graduation.”

Reflect on your time in middle school. Think back on the past school year and your time in middle school. You could talk about your first day of school together and how you have all changed over the years: For example, you could talk about lifelong friendships that were made, and lessons that were learned. Encourage your classmates to always remember and cherish the good times you had together.

Highlight a few important moments that brought the class together. Tell a short story about one of these experiences. For instance, you could say “During the fall charity drive, our class made history by raising over three thousand dollars.”

Talk about the future. After you have reflected on your time together in middle school, you could talk about how these experiences have prepared you and your classmates for the future. Mention your nervousness about entering high school and meeting new people.

Thank those who made middle school a great experience. Before ending your speech, you should take some time to thank those people who made your middle school experience possible. This includes peers, teachers, parents, administrators, and staff. Say something like: "I want to thank the teachers, staff, Principal Nolan, and, of course, my parents for a wonderful Lemon Valley experience. Without your support and guidance we would not be where we are today." You could add: “I would especially like to thank my classmates for making middle school one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life."

Create an impactful conclusion. The conclusion can be one of the hardest parts to write. You want to leave the audience with something meaningful. For example, you could end by wishing your classmates the best of luck in high school. Alternatively, you could choose to end with an inspirational quote.

Elevating Your Speech

Avoid using personal examples. As the valedictorian you are representing your entire class in the speech, not just your own experience. Avoid speaking in the first person as much as possible and try to share stories that are relevant to the entire graduating class. For example, you should say “We will always remember when Mr. C. made a perfect dunk on the basketball court” instead of “I will always remember when Mr. C. made a perfect dunk of the basketball court.”

Include a few jokes. You can elevate your graduation speech by adding in a few jokes to lighten the mood. For instance, you could poke fun at one of the teachers or tell a funny story that happened during class. Do not add too many jokes to your speech. You want to try and create a balance between funny and serious. Avoid making insulting jokes that may offend someone in the audience. You could tell a quick story that highlights a funny moment from the last year. For example, "Mr. D was so eager to come to school and teach us that one day he wore his shirt inside out."

Don’t talk too much about individuals. Although it is important to thank your teachers and peers, you should avoid talking too much about individual people. For example, you may cause certain people to feel left out if you spend too much time talking about a few individuals. That being said, it is okay to give a tribute to someone if they deserve special recognition. For example, perhaps the entire graduating class had the same teacher. In this instance, you can mention that teacher individually.

Keep your speech between 10 to 15 minutes in length. People do not want to sit and listen to a thirty minute graduation speech. They will likely lose focus and only remember a few key stories anyways. The best graduation speeches are short and to the point. Keep your speech somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes.

Add a motivational quote to the speech. Motivational quotes can help to give extra meaning to your words. They can also be used to help inspire your classmates. Search online for motivational quotes and choose one that is relatable to some experience or theme that you are building your speech around. Alternatively, you could choose a quote that was hung on your classroom wall and talk about how you can apply this quote to future successes.

Give a few words of advice. You can elevate your speech by adding a bit of wisdom or advice for your friends to take with them as they enter high school. The advice you give can be funny or serious, but it must be sincere. For example, you could quote a piece of advice from a celebrity commencement speech. Alternatively, you could say something serious like "The journey ahead may not be easy, and most of us will stumble at some point. The important thing is that we get back up and keep working towards our goals and dreams."

Delivering the Speech

Practice the speech in advance. Make sure that you say your speech out loud at least five to ten times. Practicing will help you remember the speech, make you comfortable saying the words, and ease some of your nerves. You can also try practicing in front of your family. This will get you comfortable talking in front of a group of people.

Concentrate on speaking slowly and clearly. On the day of your graduation you will likely be nervous and talk faster than in rehearsal. The slower you practice the easier it will be to control your speed while giving the speech. Time yourself when you practice so that you have a general idea of how long it should take when you are speaking at a slow pace.

Drink a glass of water before you deliver the speech. While you are delivering your speech, your mouth will likely become dry as a result of your nerves. Make sure to drink a glass of water before you deliver your speech. This will help you avoid getting dry mouth while you are talking.

Make eye contact with the audience. In order to connect with the audience, you want to avoid staring at a piece paper the entire time. Instead, you should make eye contact with the audience. This will make your speech more engaging and entertaining for members of the audience. Try to memorize parts of your speech so that you can look up from your notes.

Be confident and sincere. When you are delivering the speech, stand up tall and be confident in your words. Make sure that you genuinely believe the words that you are saying, this way people are more apt to pay attention and listen to the speech. If you stumble on a few words, that is okay. Just repeat what you said and keep going.