What are Your Fondest High School Memories? 5/9/09

[miniwendy]

boy watching, boy watching, boy watching....

[AuntDee]

I do not have lots of fond memories of high school. I lived in a very small town and the entire educational system was in the same building. Lunch room and gym on the first floor, elementary classrooms on the second floor and high school on the third floor.I was not part of the "in" group and had very few friends for several years. I don't think most people know how horrible it is to sit alone at lunch time for a seventh grade. while I attended school extra curricular activities I remained on teh fringe of the groups. I have some fond memories but most of memories are best left in the back ground. I did attned the 40th reunion and found it as depressing as high school was.

[pdlnpeabody]

I do not have lots of fond memories of high school. I lived in a very small town and the entire educational system was in the same building. Lunch room and gym on the first floor, elementary classrooms on the second floor and high school on the third floor.I was not part of the "in" group and had very few friends for several years. I don't think most people know how horrible it is to sit alone at lunch time for a seventh grade. while I attended school extra curricular activities I remained on teh fringe of the groups. I have some fond memories but most of memories are best left in the back ground. I did attned the 40th reunion and found it as depressing as high school was.

Yeah, I didn't have too many friends either. I also didn't get into any trouble. I had a natural immunity to peer pressure- I was "The Ugly Kid."

[MerriMagic]

My high school years were a nightmare. When I saw this topic, my first memory popped into my head... a nun dragging a screaming student down a hallway by her hair.

I learned very quickly that many if not most religious didn't become nuns because they loved God, as much as they decided that would be a safe place to retreat from the world, where they could take out their frustrations on those younger and weaker than they. I found them to be decidedly mean spirited, with a definite flair for sadism.

The student I described above, was a frequent target of these 'good' ladies' misplaced anger. They mauled her incessantly for even the mildest infringment. If we told our parents of this girl's treatment at the holy women's hands, our parents told us that she must have been a very bad girl, and probably deserved her punishment, because the nuns were good and pure, and not capable of such violence. So we said nothing, betrayed by our own kin in our hour of need.

And when the girl contracted cancer late in her Junior year, and died in her senior year, these noble religious held a memorial service for her, at the school. These pious and 'gentle' women then stood around wringing their hands, and moaning how sad it was to lose her, and what a wonderful student she was, and how much they loved her.

Right...What hippocracy. They mourned the loss of their punching bag.

While some remember high school as a place of comraderie and joy, all I remember is fear. I learned that life isn't fair, and that people in positions of power regularly abused it. It certainly wasn't an environment that lent itself to learning.

The day I graduated I didn't feel like I was a educational success, I felt that I had broken free of jail.

[Lady Grey]

I loved the field trips.

[Guest Happy Heart]

BEST high school memory? The VERY LAST day of high school.

[Lady Grey]

My high school years were a nightmare. When I saw this topic, my first memory popped into my head... a nun dragging a screaming student down a hallway by her hair.

I learned very quickly that many if not most religious didn't become nuns because they loved God, as much as they decided that would be a safe place to retreat from the world, where they could take out their frustrations on those younger and weaker than they. I found them to be decidedly mean spirited, with a definite flair for sadism.

The student I described above, was a frequent target of these 'good' ladies' misplaced anger. They mauled her incessantly for even the mildest infringment. If we told our parents of this girl's treatment at the holy women's hands, our parents told us that she must have been a very bad girl, and probably deserved her punishment, because the nuns were good and pure, and not capable of such violence. So we said nothing, betrayed by our own kin in our hour of need.

And when the girl contracted cancer late in her Junior year, and died in her senior year, these noble religious held a memorial service for her, at the school. These pious and 'gentle' women then stood around wringing their hands, and moaning how sad it was to lose her, and what a wonderful student she was, and how much they loved her.

Right...What hippocracy. They mourned the loss of their punching bag.

While some remember high school as a place of comraderie and joy, all I remember is fear. I learned that life isn't fair, and that people in positions of power regularly abused it. It certainly wasn't an environment that lent itself to learning.

The day I graduated I didn't feel like I was a educational success, I felt that I had broken free of jail.

Oh, my dear. I just read this as I revisited this thread. I am so very sorry for these horrible memories of grief. That poor child. It is funny, my grandmother told me the same stories about the nuns in her high school. She had horror stories too. I have also heard others state stories such as my grandmother's stories. Very sad indeed. I hope that the true comfort and healing of the Lord has some how been able to sooth you over the years. I myself had suffered at the hands of horrible abuse as a child and a teen - only not from school, but family members. I know how hurtful those memories can be until healing can take place over time. I have always said about myself that healing for me is a life time process.

[pdlnpeabody]

I just remembered another one. This wasn't high school, but 6th grade in junior high. Mrs. Merchant, our Advanced English Lit. teacher, was right out of a movie. She was somewhat elderly, always wore conservative dresses, a shawl (not sure about the spelling) and bifocals with the little, rectangular shaped lenses. She was very quiet, but sharp, so it was very difficult to pull one over on her. She was always the last person to enter the classroom a few minutes after everyone else. Usually, we would use those few minutes to turn all of our desks so they were facing the side of the classroom or backwards instead of the front. You know, harmless pranks. But there was one day that we really caught her off guard. That day we discussed what to do and came to a quick consensus- when she opened the door, we all gave her a standing ovation! She was so shocked she looked like she had seen a ghost and closed the door! When she opened it again a moment later, we did it again. She closed the door again. A minute later she returned with our science teacher from across the hall. When she opened the door, we were all sitting quietly reading our books and finishing up homework. The science teacher looked at Mrs. Merchant and said, "lady, you're crazy!" and walked away.

[armymom166]

My favorite memory was being in the cast of South Pacific in my junior year. My character actually had a name, too! It was awesome.

Senior year, however, is a nightmare I prefer not to revisit.

[me-barbie]

Elementary and jr high were nightmares of bullying and racism. Moved a lot, acne, glasses and braces....didnt matter I had a great figure (I was a skater). At one school, it got bad enough my dad taught to street fight, and street fight dirty. I bit, I clawed, I kicked, but I finally got left alone.

High school was a paradise in comparision, we finally stopped moving. Yeah there were plenty of bad times, but nothing like elementary school. Undergraduate university now....THAT was a pah-TEE!!!!! LOL!

[LouMorgan]

I don't have any, I went to english boarding school. It was like paying a lot of money to be an inmate in a high security jail.

[KathieB]

I don't have any, I went to english boarding school. It was like paying a lot of money to be an inmate in a high security jail.

That's a pretty vivid memory in itself!

[rackey]

Okay -- I'll take the plunge and answer this one. I guess the most exciting/memorable event in my High School was when a new boy stepped off the bus and joined our freshman class for the second semester. I liked everything about him, and fortunately for me, he reciprocated.

This summer we will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. :music_band:

Ah, those are the best kind of memories. - Happy Anniversary in advance.

[rackey]

My high school years were a nightmare. When I saw this topic, my first memory popped into my head... a nun dragging a screaming student down a hallway by her hair.

I learned very quickly that many if not most religious didn't become nuns because they loved God, as much as they decided that would be a safe place to retreat from the world, where they could take out their frustrations on those younger and weaker than they. I found them to be decidedly mean spirited, with a definite flair for sadism.

The student I described above, was a frequent target of these 'good' ladies' misplaced anger. They mauled her incessantly for even the mildest infringment. If we told our parents of this girl's treatment at the holy women's hands, our parents told us that she must have been a very bad girl, and probably deserved her punishment, because the nuns were good and pure, and not capable of such violence. So we said nothing, betrayed by our own kin in our hour of need.

And when the girl contracted cancer late in her Junior year, and died in her senior year, these noble religious held a memorial service for her, at the school. These pious and 'gentle' women then stood around wringing their hands, and moaning how sad it was to lose her, and what a wonderful student she was, and how much they loved her.

Right...What hippocracy. They mourned the loss of their punching bag.

While some remember high school as a place of comraderie and joy, all I remember is fear. I learned that life isn't fair, and that people in positions of power regularly abused it. It certainly wasn't an environment that lent itself to learning.

The day I graduated I didn't feel like I was a educational success, I felt that I had broken free of jail.

I am so sorry you had to endure all of this, and I am especially sad for your classmate. I am Catholic too, but I never went to Catholic school and never had a bad experience with a nun. However, I am not surprised by your story and feel it is one that needs to be told.

Someone once told me that life isn't fair and the sooner I accept that, the better off I will be. Well I know life isn't always fair, but that doesn't mean we have to accept that blindly and not try to promote positive change. Now it seems like teachers, nuns, and other child authority figures can't touch children in their charge, but in any profession there are always some who will try to abuse their power and make unfair judgments. - May your young classmate rest in peace.

[rackey]

Thank you all for your high school posts. I especially enjoyed hearing about those who met their husbands in high school, although I it was the more negative posts I related to. I don't have any specific bad memories of high school, but I don't have any overwhelmingly good, or special, ones either.

What I seem to remember most about high school was that it was a relief from junior high. Elementary school was okay, but 7th and 8th grade were the worse years, as so many kids were in clicks, afraid not to be cool, or just going through some kind of change. It was a very insecure time period, and I often felt like a target for ridicule. In high school, however, most people left me alone, which was fine, but few really knew me well. I had only a few close friends, and my best friend then is my best friend now.

Some of the better parts about high school was realizing I could write, and I wish I had the confidence in myself to pursue writing as a career when I graduated. I also remember how it felt dressing up as Elton John for Halloween in my senior year. Only seniors were allowed to dress up, and in one of my classrooms, I was the only senior in costume. As I walked in the teacher said, "Maureen, I didn't know you had it in you." I wanted to say, "I didn't know I had it in me either," but I just smiled and took my seat. For once I didn't care what anyone else thought, and that was a great feeling.

[rackey]

A sad note - just found out that the counselor of my alternative high school program passed away on March 10 at the age of 83. Bless his heart, Thomas J. Cooney was a wonderful man, caring yet down to earth. He was much loved, and rightly so, in the Seattle school district. He was one of those very rare grown-ups that a kid could really talk to, and I miss him to this day.

My condolences go out to you and his family. I am happy to know you have such fond memories of him.

[rackey]

That's how I felt, Kathleen; then I got talked into attending my 30th reunion and SWORE I'd never go back! Never say "never"; DH wants to take me (he knows some of my oldest friends, who have been nagging at me to attend) and because he had fun at HIS reunion, we're going. Oh, well, there are plenty of paddling and hiking and biking opportunities.

I never went to any of my high school reunions and never regretted it, although I would love to talk one-on-one with any of my former classmates. I didn't feel a strong bond with my class in general, but for some reason many high school graduates stay in town or in the area, and sometimes that is a connection in itself. Thanks to Facebook I know what some of them are up to, but in general, I am not a Facebook fan anymore than I am a fan of class reunions. The year we all turned 50, I received a Facebook invitation to meet at a local bar and restaurant, but unfortunately, I couldn't make it that evening. I would have liked to have gone, but I will still forfiet my next reunion.

[rackey]

Our schoolwork, if you want to call it that, was mostly done individually and on contract, and mainly we just hung around the portable when we weren't off working or whatever. And since this was 1970-71, there was a lot of pot smoking and just general fooling around, it's a wonder any of us went on to anything else. Some didn't - the drugs got them big time, but then some of us went on to graduate high school and "sell out to the system" and have regular jobs, careers, and families.

That reminds me of what I once told my niece Tara. Tara graduated from the same high school I did, and one day she asked me how many credits I needed to graduate. I told her 100, which made perfect sense to me, as that was 25 per each of the four years. Tara, however, was shocked and somewhat angry because she needed at least 125 credits. She kept saying over and over again how she couldn't believe I only needed 100 credits. Finally, I said, "Tara, it was the 70s. We were all on drugs, and we were lucky to get (just) the 100 (credits)." Deep down inside I think she knew I was kidding, as I didn't even smoke cigarettes, much less dealt with pot or the harder drugs; but what I said shut her up.

[morgansmith]

My fondest high school memory...there were many. But mine, was many years, in fact, several decades after graduation. My favorite teacher had survived a serious war with cancer. She came to stay at the resort I worked at and I got to spend quite a bit of time with her. Not long after, cancer finally won. I will never forget the gift of that last visit.

As for the horror stories, mine were in grade school, 3rd & 4th grade. A private christian school. It was a nightmare I will never forget, made bearable by just one teacher. Yes, one person can make a difference in a child's life.

[me-barbie]

I did go to my 20th High school reunion. Mostly to get revenge but I wound up having a great time. Revenge= I am a very successful professional in my own right, And (I was thinner then) quite pretty too. My HS boyfriend and one of his friends had told me I was voted Ugliest Girl in School.

Found out that was just those 2. And a lot of the girls who had been snotty as girls were funny mature women, and same with some of the guys. One guy (whom I had a secret crush on in gr 10) has overcome incredible mental health difficulties, and I am proud to call him a friend.

Of course, some of the jerks were still jerks, but then...that is always the way.

[Missymew]

School dances. I love to dance. Also, I have a male friend that I went to high school with that I'm meeting for coffee next week. He and I went to H.S. together, worked at our first job together, and then both ended up working for the City until our retirement (he two years ago...me a year and a half ago). Its so nice to keep in touch with someone who's known you through high school and working years. When you retire there are a lot of changes in your social life. Friends you keep and still see, and many that you never see again.

[Summersethomes]

I dont have any fond memories of HS all I wanted to do was to get through it and go to Hawaii for college and my mother forced me to go to the local college, I refused to go and left home..I never looked back. I can say I had a fun life and it's not as difficult as you might think it would be without a degree. I dont think I would remember those people if I saw them again plus I live on another coast now. so my fond memories are of living my life

[L Swearengin]

senior Year.... Marching band Sitting in the bleachers waiting for halftime to perform. Drummers took the heads off two of the drums. By halftime we were snockered and couldn't walk a straight line, much less march. No one got in trouble. O course graduation and enlisting in the US Air Force right after that.