New Voices at Graduation : Commencement: The trend is to have scholars compete for the honor of addressing the senior class.

Jennifer Luu always thought it would be “pretty cool” to deliver a speech during high school graduation, but the 18-year-old honor student assumed it was a token of esteem reserved only for the class valedictorian.

But she didn’t know that Westminster High School and many other schools in Orange County had eliminated traditional addresses by valedictorians and replaced them with speeches that were chosen in student contests.

Holding senior speech auditions is a growing trend in many of the county’s 56 public high schools.

Westminster High School, along with 27 other high schools, has opted to hold speech contests in which a panel of judges made up of teachers and students selects the best speech for graduation ceremonies.

Also, a few schools have traveled other non-traditional avenues in redefining “valedictorian” by creating other criteria in bestowing the honor, besides just a high grade-point average.

By opening up the contest to all seniors, class valedictorians now have the option of participating in the contest.

“Just because you’re valedictorian, it doesn’t mean you should be forced to stand in front of 6,000 people and talk to them,” said Anji Clemens, vice principal at Westminster High School, where the policy was changed after the valedictorian in 1981 declined to make a speech. “For some who are introverts, it’s like dying,” she said.

*

Luu didn’t have the highest grade-point average among her classmates--she graduated in the top 10%--but she won her school’s speech contest.

‘I’m so happy I had the chance to audition,” Luu said.

According to Huntington Beach High School Vice Principal Darrell Stillwagon, students vie for spots in one of three categories: distinguished scholar, graduate with honors and a senior at large.

But at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, administrators have two speech contests in which one winner must be from the top 2% of the class. Anaheim High School follows a similar procedure to El Toro.

“Years ago, the top student was valued academically, but they weren’t necessarily the best speakers,” said Walt Michallik, guidance counseling chairman at Anaheim High School. “They were pretty boring at times.”

Patricia Chau, this year’s valedictorian at Anaheim High School, won her school’s speech contest.

“I was fine with having to audition,” Chau said. “I know that sometimes there are valedictorians that might be afraid of public speaking.”

According to Anaheim Union High School District officials, valedictorian addresses were dropped when too many were getting top grades.

“When there were so many students with the exact same grades, it made it difficult to select just one student,” said Jan Billings, director of instructional services for the district.

This may be the last year that Newport Harbor High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian deliver speeches at commencement.

Newport Harbor High’s new principal, Bonnie Maspero, said the top two students had already been guaranteed speeches before she arrived.

“I did question it, having come from other schools where it is an open competition,” Maspero said. “I found it to be very important to have the voice and soul of the class, someone who comes forward and has a poignant message that reaches the class.”

*

And graduation addresses aren’t the only things that have changed at Orange County public schools. Currently, some schools carry different criteria for choosing a class valedictorian, besides just having the highest GPA.

This year’s graduating class at San Clemente High has 35 valedictorians, students with a 4.0 grade-point average. Of those students, the one with the highest grade-point average based on honors points is given the title of “scholar of scholars.”

In contrast, some schools do not have valedictorians.

John Mckeever, assistant principal at Irvine High School, where the valedictorian and the salutatorian are neither named nor recognized, agrees with his school’s policy.

The tradition at Irvine High School began with the first graduating class in 1979, Mckeever said. Students graduating in the top 10% of the class don a stole around their necks, and students in the top 2% are entitled to wear a braid. Class rankings are released only to colleges, if requested.

“We choose to recognize our kids in a more global way,” Mckeever said.