Grad's call to Jesus a surprise for school

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 10, 2006 | by BRIAN NEWSOME THE GAZETTE

Erica Corder knew for months that she would use her high school commencement speech to evangelize.

But she didn't tell anyone.

So the unexpected call at graduation ceremonies May 25 for students and families to learn about Jesus Christ left school officials worried her views might seem to have been sanctioned by the school, a violation of the First Amendment.

She was asked to write an e-mail to parents to explain herself and acknowledge the school was not involved.

Her speech drew mixed reactions from the crowd, and the school's response recently grabbed the attention of Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs-based ministry. The issue has led school district officials to consider how commencement speeches will be handled, said Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Superintendent Dave Dilley. The district has no policies regarding commencement speeches.

Corder, 18, was among 15 Lewis-Palmer valedictorians this year. The students cowrote a speech giving each valedictorian 30 seconds. They rehearsed it before Principal Mark Brewer before graduation.

Corder was to conclude the joint speech.

Unknown to Brewer and the other student, Corder planned to use her time to profess her faith. She prayed about it for months, she said, and believed God called her to speak out.

"I think he (God) just wanted to plant that seed, I guess," she said.

She said by keeping her plans quiet she would not deliberately disobey any censorship attempts.

Brewer was at a conference Friday and unavailable for comment on whether he would have allowed her comments.

Corder added the following to her speech:

"We are all capable of standing firm and expressing our own beliefs, which is why I need to tell you about some- one who loves you more than you could ever imagine. He died for you on the cross over 2,000 years ago, yet was resurrected and is living today in heaven. His name is Jesus Christ. If you don't already know him personally, I encourage you to find out more about the sacrifice he made for you, so that you now have the opportunity to live in eternity with him."

Friends have rallied around her, but she's also heard of students who were offended or thought her secrecy was deceitful.

Sarah Watt, a friend who knew of the plan, said, "When I heard her start talking about it, I just wanted to leap out of my seat I was so excited."

Student Joe Galindo said he had no objections to her message, but he questioned the venue. "I'm Christian, so I definitely thought it was a good thing but wrong timing."

Galindo and Watt noticed people reacting negatively to her message.

After the ceremony, Corder was escorted by a teacher to the assistant principal, who said she would need to meet with Brewer. When they met, she agreed to send the e-mail but declined to apologize.

"At graduation I know some of you may have been offended by what I said during the valedictorian speech. I did not intend to offend anyone," she said in the e-mail. "I also want to make it clear that (the principal) did not condone nor was he aware of my plans before giving the speech. I'm sorry I didn't share my plans ahead of time. The valedictorians were not aware of what I was going to say. These were my personal beliefs and may not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the other valedictorians or the school staff."

The school's response to Corder's speech was reported by Focus on the Family's Citizenlink.org. Corder's father is a director at Focus, but he said the organization learned of the issue through other people who attended commencement.

Dilley said administrators and board members will likely look at setting guidelines for commencement speeches.