Student accuses teachers of alcoholism and ‘negligence’ during valedictorian speech
A student has used her final high school speech to brutally smack down her teachers and other staff members, accusing them of “negligence”.
A graduating student has become a global sensation after publicly slamming her teachers during her final, savage high school speech.
In the US and some other countries, the valedictorian student is usually a graduating senior who has achieved the highest grades out of their cohort, similar to Australia’s dux.
According to tradition, that student is usually asked to present a speech during their year group’s graduation ceremony.
But when Nataly Buhr, a high-achieving student from California’s San Ysidro High School, delivered her valedictorian speech at the class of 2019 graduation last week, it soon took a surprising turn.
The speech was captured on film and shared online by CBS 8 San Diego.
It began innocently enough, with the teen sincerely thanking her “hardworking” parents for supporting her over the years.
But her message to teachers and other school staff was less flattering.
“To my counsellor, thanks for teaching me to fend for myself. You were always unavailable to my parents and I, despite appointments,” she began.
“Only in these past few weeks, with the awards ceremonies and graduation coming up, did you begin making your appearance.
“And might I note, you expressed to me the joy in knowing that one of your students was valedictorian when you had absolutely no role in my achievements.”
But she wasn’t done — next on her hit list were office staff members who taught her to be “resourceful”.
“Your negligence to inform me of several scholarships until the day before they were due potentially caused me to miss out on thousands of dollars,” she said.
She saved the most shocking allegation until last, when she singled out “the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year”.
“Thank you for using yourself as an example to teach students about the dangers of alcoholism,” Ms Buhr said.
“Being escorted by police out of the school left a lasting impression. I hope that future students and staff learn from these examples.”
At that, students in the audience erupted into applause and cheers, although many can be seen laughing and gasping throughout the speech.
Sweetwater Union High School District spokesman Manuel Rubio told the San Diego Tribune Ms Buhr had handed over a very different version of her speech for approval before the ceremony.
“We think that the student’s speech was inappropriate and out of line,” Mr Rubio said.
“While we definitely welcome the concerns of students and their families regarding any situation at one of our schools, doing so in such a manner without any prior knowledge of this situation by the school is not the right way of handling this.
“Ultimately, this takes away from what should have been a day of celebration for the school and their community.”
Nevertheless, Ms Buhr has been widely praised on social media, with many labelling her a “hero”.
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