Being able to think and talk about both sides of a controversial issue as objectively as possible is an important skill for any citizen. When people can’t engage in civil discourse, there is no exchange of ideas. That’s why senior speeches are a graduation requirement at TGS. Our seniors must prepare a short talk about an issue, then deliver it to faculty, friends, and family in order to receive their diplomas. After the speech, they must also answer questions from people in the audience. Senior Speech Day is a major milestone towards proving that seniors are ready to go out into the world.

Our assembly began on a very high note, when Dr. Gates passed out TGS rings to all the seniors. These rings are a gift from Sonny and Lori Burgoon of Diamond Collection who want to honor all the graduates with a lasting and beautiful memento of their years at The Georgetown School. Thank you so much!

Then, the Class of 2026 did a great job presenting and defending their positions on a variety of issues.

Baryck Jackson heads to U. S. C. this fall. He argued that companies are overstepping their bounds by installing overly complicated electronics in cars and farm equipment. Given the difficulty of finding and training qualified technicians, these electronics place an undue financial burden on the owner when things go wrong. The reputation of the company suffers when it can’t keep its machinery running. Some (John Deere) are being sued by angry customers. Companies are doing a disservice to their customers and themselves through over-use of complicated electronic systems.

Bryan Amerson will also study at U. S. C. Bryan took on the topic of AI, arguing that its use should be limited to small and specific applications, such as in medicine. The way AI acquires data from unconsenting people is leading to a massive invasion of privacy. Biometric data has already been stolen and sold after data breaches; it is time for the government to reign in and narrowly define the uses of AI.

Hannah Bridges will attend Horry-Georgetown Technical College. She argued that social media is dangerous to children under 15 because their brains are still developing and there is too much noxious material that can influence them for the worse, even driving them to suicide. She said it was the social media companies’ responsibility to keep minors away from inappropriate content.

Larson Lee is heading to the College of Charleston. He believes that the energy future of America lies in developing low-cost and safe nuclear plants. Unlike other fuels, nuclear is relatively clean and can be obtained domestically, reducing both pollution and our dependence on foreign sources of energy. Larson noted that very safe methods of either disposing of or reprocessing spent fuel rods already exist. He maintained that disasters such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were due to mismanagement of sites, not nuclear energy itself.

Noah Miller is attending Horry-Georgetown Technical College this fall. He spoke from his experience as a home-schooled student and argued that traditional (whether public or private) schools do a better job of producing well-educated, well-adjusted graduates. Homeschoolers often do not have adequate time for socializing with their peers, and the longer they are home-schooled, the more difficult their classes become and the more they will need certified teachers to educate them.

Gracin Farwell will go to Wingate College next fall. Gracin’s topic was surveillance overreach through technologies such as the Flock Safety camera. The Flock scans license plates and creates a huge data set of pervasive, long-term tracking of people’s movements. Many see this as a search without a warrant and an invasion of the privacy guaranteed by the 4^th Amendment. Gracin believes that surveillance technology should be used to pursue criminals (all proper legal channels being followed) but must be severely curtailed in the case of private citizens going about their business.

Corrin Anderson is accepted at Southern New Hampshire University. He argued that the words of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” should be updated. The words, he said, are difficult to memorize and many citizens do not really know them well enough to sing. The verses refer to the War of 1812 and many people find them archaic and overly militaristic. Corrin argued that warlike lyrics are not relevant and should be replaced by words which reflect the values of modern Americans: freedom, equality, progress.

Kipper Saliaris will attend Lander College this fall. Kipper argued that there are too many hormones in the foods we buy at the grocery store. He explained that there are mainly two types of hormones in use: growth hormones to promote bigger animals and hormones that are sprayed on food when it is harvested to keep it fresh longer. These hormones are harmful: there are studies that point to an increased chance of slow metabolism and gynacomastia in children. Kipper pointed out that such hormones are already banned in many parts of Europe and should be banned in the U. S. In the meantime, he recommends buying organic food and preserving it by freezing, canning, or drying.

The faculty will choose one senior to receive the Senior Speech Award at Awards Day.

Photos: courtesy of Marsh Deane (MLNL Media), Nolan, and Christine Anderson