Walpole Valedictorian Apologizes For Plagiarizing Graduation Speech

WALPOLE (CBS) – The principal of a Massachusetts high school is apologizing after its valedictorian gave a speech at graduation that was partially plagiarized.

The Walpole High School student, who has not been identified, gave a speech on Sunday that included material she took from the Internet.

Several jokes about the restaurant Chipotle were among the portions of the speech plagiarized from a video posted on YouTube in 2006.

"I am sorry. I am genuinely not a creative person. I have no excuse for plagiarizing my speech and my actions are completely my fault," the valedictorian said in a statement.

Walpole principal Stephen Imbusch said in a letter to members of the Class of 2015 that the school has addressed the concerns raised by the speech.

"The incident has been addressed with the student and appropriate actions will be taken by the school," Imbusch said.

Imbusch called the incident a "serious academic offense" and vowed to review future speeches more carefully so it does not happen again.

In:
• Plagiarism
• YouTube
• Walpole
• Chipotle