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High-achieving students across the land are preparing speeches to deliver at the graduation ceremony. Some schools give this honor to the student with the highest grade point average, while other schools hold auditions and encourage students to audition for the opportunity.

I thought I'd share some advice for the speechwriters out there, but I'm just getting the ball rolling. I'm hoping that others will pitch in and add their own words of wisdom. Feel free to submit your comments below.

• Be inclusive. Make sure that your speech relates to all students--not just some of the graduates.
• It's risky to try to be funny if you're not really good at it. If you want to be funny, you could start or finish with a humorous quote from a famous person.
• Read a few inspirational speeches before you write one, to get an idea of the format and tone.
• Include gratitude.
• Start early and revise.
• Read each draft out loud to see how it sounds.
• Practice a lot!

I'll end with that, but I'd like to hear from others!

I know you've heard of reading between the lines before. That's what you do when you pick up on clues to detect a hidden meaning that is not expressed explicitly.

For example, when you are reading a novel and you come across a scene that involves a chance encounter, darting eyes, and very curt expressions, you know that there's something going on between the characters, perhaps some underlying tension from a previous encounter. You can detect this because you have some sort of life experience that enables you to pick up on the clues the author has provided.

When you take notes on a class lecture, you must learn to listen between the lines. An instructor will give you part of the story, but he or she is expecting you to fill in the "back story" with information you've picked up from your homework readings. This is why it is so important to read your assignments before you go to class!

By the time you start writing your research paper, you've probably collected most of your sources. If you're typing in Microsoft Word 2007 or Word 2010, you can organize and manage your various sources easily.

Before you get too entrenched in your writing, you should enter all of your source information into your "manage sources" section of Word. To do this, you simply select the References tab which is located at the top of the page. Then select the style (MLA, for example).

You'll see Manage Sources on the menu. Select that, and then select New. You will be prompted to input all the information (title, author, publishing company) for one source. When you're done with each source, select OK. Continue adding your sources until you've entered them all.

Once you've entered your sources, you will be able to insert in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliography entries with one click!

Many students are working on several big end-of-year projects this month. Some of those students will find that they have two or more due dates falling on the very same week--and that situation can create a real time management headache!

The trick to managing several projects is practicing good task management. In other words, you should manage your time by breaking down your big projects into small tasks, writing them down in lists, and managing them on a strict timeline.

To make this work, you must be sure to include every step for every project, whether it's shopping for model supplies or entering sources into your list of works cited. It might help to plan backward. Even when two projects are very different, you will probably find some similar jobs that can be combined.

Once you've made a big list of tasks, then you allot a time for each of those tasks, and stick rigidly to your plan. You will find that this method cuts down the stress factor considerably. You won't worry about forgetting things or missing deadlines, because everything has a proper time and place.

And when you don't stress over everything you're not doing at any given moment, you can concentrate on each individual task at hand, and you'll find that you do a much better job all around.

Having a little trouble getting excited about your homework? Need a little jump start once in a while?

Actually, everybody needs a little prodding sometimes when it comes to getting work done. If you're bored with your homework, if it seems too hard, or if you don't think your homework performance really matters, you might find inspiration in these 5 tips for motivating students just like you.

When I meet with college students one-on-one, I tell them to bring every syllabus they have to the meeting, and then I have them write each due date or test date in a planner. More often than not, it seems, the students will pull out a cell phone and tap in the date.

I always say that I don't care what students use for time management, as long as they use something!

But I was surprised recently, at a workshop attended by college seniors, to find that the majority of them preferred an old fashioned paper planner as a time management tool. They said that they had learned over the years that the paper version was more personal and more reliable. "My cell phone dies," one said. "And that can be costly."

That made good sense. I know from my own family experience that teens and tweens tend to forget to charge phones. So maybe the cell phone is not the best tool for setting reminders, after all!

What do you think?

At this time of year, many students will be using word processors to work on lengthy final papers. The last thing you want to do is lose your work after you've spent hours or days laboring on a computer.

If you're working with Microsoft Word, you can use an auto-backup feature. You simply follow these steps for Microsoft 2007:

• Click on the Microsoft Office Button in the top left corner of your screen.
• Select Advanced on the menu to see a box appear.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

If you're working in Microsoft 2010:

• Click on the File tab in the top left part of your screen.
• Select Options from the menu to see a box appear.
• Select Advanced for a list of advanced options.
• Scroll down until you see a section called Save.
• Click on the box beside Always create a backup copy.

This creates two copies of every document you create, but if you suspect that this feature takes up too much space, you can turn it off again once the school year ends.

The end of the school year is approaching for many, and that means final projects and big exams are ahead. It's important to stay healthy and alert--and you can do that by avoiding foods that make you feel sleepy and thick-headed, like sodas and fatty fast foods. I think you'll be surprised to find out how much these foods can affect your mood and your energy.

While you're preparing for end-of-year projects, why not give yourself a little edge with healthier meals? Try these ideas, for a change:

• How to Make a Healthy Plate of Food
• Healthy Homework Snacks
• Healthy Snacks for After School

It can't hurt, and it might pay off with great results.

Do you know what's happening in your town or your state? Are you aware of events that show up in the newspaper headlines?

There are lots of reasons to stay up-to-date about current events:

• You may be interviewing for a college or a big competition soon. You'll want to sound like an informed student!
• You may be participating in a mock election.
• You could be writing an argument essay.
• You could be joining the debate team.

While we often hear about the importance of developing good leadership qualities and the value of experiencing a leadership role, we don't hear so much about the need to be a good participant.

You don't have to lead the pack in every endeavor, so during those times when you're playing the role of participant, it's important to be a good team member. The first rule for being a good team member is to support your leader! Don't' be resentful if you aren't chosen to be the leader every time. Each member of a team is important, and it's necessary for you to experience the different roles that team members play.

More rules for being a good participant include:

• Take quality notes at the meetings to help the communication flow.
• Address potential problems without getting personal. Make sure it's about ideas, not about people.
• Be willing to do your part. You might have a slacker on your team, but that should never affect your own work ethic.