Could President Obama be your graduation speaker?

 

Enter the High School Commencement Challenge to find out

President Barak Obama could be your 2010 graduation speaker if you apply by March 15 to a challenge issued this week by the White House. The 2010 Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge invites the nation's public high schools to compete for the opportunity to welcome the President as their commencement speaker for the class of 2010. 

This challenge is designed to recognize high schools with effective strategies for reducing the number of high school dropouts, promoting college and career readiness, and encouraging college enrollment in support of meeting the President's goal of producing the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

In order to participate in the competition, schools will be required to submit an online application consisting of four short essay questions that demonstrate how the school successfully prepares students for high school graduation and college and career success. The deadline to submit applications is March 15, 2010. 

Following the application deadline, six finalists will be selected by the White House and Department of Education. These schools will then be featured on the White House Web site and the public will have an opportunity to vote for the three schools they think best meet the President's goal. The President will select a national winner from these three and visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2010. 

Additional details on the competition, including the application, are available at www.WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement