Valedictorian Rips School Staff And Calls Out Teacher For "Alcoholism" In Graduation Speech
(CBS) — A San Diego high school valedictorian went scorched-earth on school staff during her graduation speech last week, airing her grievances against some faculty members in a highly public fashion. Her fiery remarks later went viral.
Nataly Buhr, who attended San Ysidro High School, told CBS affiliate KFMB-TV Tuesday that she wanted to bring attention to what she felt was lack of support for students. Buhr began her speech thanking specific teachers who were "invested" in students' education and well-being. But then she called out other school employees for failing to live up to that standard.
"To my counselor, thank you for letting me fend for myself — you were always unavailable," she said. "You expressed to me your joy in having one of your students be valedictorian when you had absolutely no role in my achievements."
She accused a teacher of showing up to school drunk. "To the teacher that was regularly intoxicated during class this year, thank you for using yourself to teach these students about the dangers of alcoholism."
Buhr sarcastically praised the main office staff for teaching her to be resourceful over apparent incompetence.
"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. "When applying for a work permit, you repeatedly turned me away, despite confirming with my employer and my parents that all of my paperwork was filled out correctly."