WASHINGTON — Every high school valedictorian struggles with the speech for the big day.
There鈥檚 the desire to deliver something great, an expression that inspires your classmates and caps a four-year academic career. Then there鈥檚 the fear: If you flop, the mishap could go viral on social media.
Tell that to Colin Yost, the valedictorian of Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Apparently, he found a way to thread that needle. The self-proclaimed “undercover nerd”聽told his fellow classmates not to worry as they venture to college. If people try to diminish their confidence, 鈥渁ll you have to do is shake it off,鈥� he said.
Then it happened: The drums of Taylor Swift鈥檚 鈥淪hake it Off鈥� kicked in over the loudspeaker, and Yost, a lanky figure in a billowy graduation gown, began to dance. The entire class of 2015 joined Yost in a flash mob performance that had been carefully choreographed over five graduation rehearsal sessions.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we wanted,” Yost says with a laugh. “We wanted that moment of confusion when you鈥檙e [like] 鈥榳hat is going on?鈥欌赌�
The Princeton-bound graduate says he鈥檇 cleared the stunt with Portsmouth High School administrators.聽Yost and some friends came up with an instructional video; he says about 80 percent of the graduating class bought into the idea.
In part, Yost credits the routine’s success to help from his dance-savvy friends. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not really that many cliques, and we just get along fairly well on the whole,” he says.
You can see Colin鈥檚 speech, and how he whips the flash mob into action here:
Just want to cut to the chase and shake it off yourself?聽 See Colin kick into action at about 4:40 into the video.
And remember, while you鈥檝e been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats … well, you know what you鈥檙e supposed to do.
草莓传媒’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
