For Classes of '07, Star-Powered Send-Offs

Students say that a high-profile speaker will make their big day even more special. But Jay Parini, a Middlebury College English professor who recently published an article on college commencement speakers, said that the value in a speech comes from the message, not the messenger.

"This is a real moment where you can actually help people focus and think about what their lives are all about," Parini said. "The person up there should evaporate, and the substance of their talk should come forward and rise to the top."

Parini can still remember the speech that the district superintendent delivered at his Scranton, Pa., high school. "He really did say, 'The future lies ahead of you.' I'll never forget where the future should be," Parini deadpanned.

Ken Sunshine, Affleck's spokesman, said this week that the star's appearance was inspired by his friendship with Falls Church senior Joe Kindregan.

Joe and the actor met in 1998 when Joe's mother took him and her daughter to Dulles International Airport to watch the filming of "Forces of Nature." Joe has ataxia-telangiectasia, a rare degenerative disease, and Affleck has supported fundraisers to help find a cure.

Joe didn't want to comment because he knows Affleck wants to keep his appearance low-key, but his mother, Suzi, said he's "very excited to be sharing Ben with everyone." After today's ceremony, she said, Affleck and Garner will join the family for a celebration at "an undisclosed location."

At Fairfax County's Mount Vernon High, students auditioned to be graduation speaker, and Callie Brownson, 17, won. "I thought somebody who was just an average kid should speak," she said. "All the graduates can say, 'I was with that person for four years.' "

Callie said that she's honored to be in a group that includes Affleck and Clinton but that it's also "a little nerve-racking."

She shouldn't worry. Parini, who spoke at the University of Scranton a few years back, offers this advice: "Challenge the students to look into their own hearts and ask what they can do to make the world a better place. That's the only message that's worth giving at a graduation speech."

And remember: The future lies ahead.