This is one of the best high school commencement addresses you will ever see.
It is a very good speech until the 3:48 mark. Then it becomes a great one.
Michael Fisch, senior class president for Morristown High’s Class of 2011, knows his audience and his task. It’s his job to summarize four years.
He does so in less than four minutes, with humor and a deft touch. Among many highlights, he dutifully covers a lowlight — death threats that turned MHS upside down last year –with a simple reference to metal detectors.
Michael acknowledges achievements by classmates, including members of the state champion Colonials football team. Yet some of the loudest cheers are heard for a standout in the obscure sport of shot put.
Yes, Nick Vena re-wrote the record books during his career at Morristown High. But those feats would not have resonated if he were a jerk. It’s a testament to Nick, his parents and his coaches that he is so beloved. You can sense that people like hanging around him, hoping some of that good stuff will rub off.
With this, Michael appears to have touched all the bases.
Then it gets personal.
Michael cites the courageous fight of his childhood best friend, classmate Max Feldman, diagnosed with cancer this year.
Speaking from the heart, Michael delivers a seize-the-moment message that is real. It is hard to imagine a finer tribute, or a more powerful payoff.
We have covered many students from the Class of ’11. Somehow, our radar missed Michael Fisch. Looks like a safe bet that we’ll all be hearing a lot more about this young man in the future.
MORE ABOUT THE CLASS OF 2011 COMMENCEMENT
