The dork post made me wonder...

[Flynn]

What kind of person were you in high school? What did you enjoy doing?

Were you voted to anything?? Were you "most likely to...?"

Ok now the flip side -- how were you perceived in high school? Often times who you were and how you were perceived can be quite different?


I was cracking up about the "didn't go to prom or dances" posts in another thread. High school can be so.....HIGH SCHOOL! So, what was your experiece like?

[SuzySunshine]

I'll go first!

I was the sterotypical over-involved person in high school. I went to a small high school, about 300 kids TOTAL. I was a cheerleader, volleyball letter athlete, track athlete (1 year), president of the Student Council, Homecoming Princess, FHA local district and State Officer...I'm sure there is more but that is what sticks out in my mind. I went to all the dances, went to three years of Prom (sophmore year went with a senior - gasp!). Went to all the sporting events, like I said was overly involved.

I think people saw me in different lights, some people found me very annoying which looking back I probably was. Some people thought I was nuts because I insisted on doing everything, and other people thought what I was doing was normal for such a small town.

To tell you how my teachers and sponsors saw me, my little sister grew up with "Your Cheri's sister, aren't you?" They all knew me. 8)

[spotty_dog]

Man, explaining my high school experience is complicated. Here's the short version.

I attended a bilingual college prep school in Bogotá, Colombia for 9th through 11th grade. I went from completely isolating myself among the other expat kids (9th) to completely integrating with a Colombian social group (11th). Along the way I took lots of advanced classes, participated in a few extracurriculars (softball, ecology club), and enjoyed my social life quite a bit. After my freshman year I didn't feel like a social reject in any way.

For my senior year we moved back to Alaska. I took AP classes, worked part-time, had some good friends among my fellow fringe-dwellers. I raised a puppy, learned to play canasta, and had long talks on the banks of Eagle River with my almost-boyfriend Rob. I was offered a lot of pot, and refused it every time.

I'd say socially acceptable goody-goody nerd would describe me. When my brother came through the high school, the only person who said "Aren't you Alison's brother?" was the chemistry teacher.

I was... lost in my small high school (216 kids total, at it's peak). Somewhere between the mean and pretty popular kids and the nerd herd. I was a choir and orchestra member, cheerleader (though I raised a stink my senior year when I tattled on the football players for chanting "show us your t*ts" to the cheerleaders after an important victory. We all attended sexual harrassment sensitivity training after that episode and I quit the squad when the silent treatment didn't end), soccer player, gymnast, shot putter, peer leader and held leads in the plays and musicals. Academically, I was a perfectly average underachiever. Took honors English and government classes, but failed phyiscs and barely passed calculus. I went to a bunch of proms starting sophomore year, I liked limos and fancy dresses - they boys I went with were great accessories. I shaved the sides of my head when Tommy Lee and Nikki Six did it because I loved Motley Crue that much. I alternately wore Z. Cavarici's and a black leather motorcycle jacket. I lied to my parents a few times about where I was going and with whom, but never did drugs and didn't really drink much because of sports. I was voted "Class Rebel" because everybody else was comfortable conforming, I didn't really break the mold so drastically. I got suspended twice, but never had detention. I hated living in a suburb that was cruelly close to Manhattan... I tried to make the most of living in a sleepy Hudson River town when all I wanted was to live in a dingy flat in the Village while I audtioned for Broadway shows and went to dance and jazz clubs every night.

Hated high school. Hated, hated, hated. I married basically the only person I liked from there. I guess I was classified as a "head rot" or "punk-rock girl" in my lily-white, wealthier suburb. I paricipated in drama, orchestra ... I don't remember what else. Honors classes that I put no effort into. Nearly all of my friends were from the more reasonable suburb just south. They all smoked, drank, and did drugs -- and I just watched b/c I knew if I tried it once my mother would know and KILL me. They were artISTES (some quite good, actually). We all hung out at dh's motel (yep, Indian parents owned a motel .... hello stereotype!). DH and his brother had their own apartment across the parking lot and down a flight of stairs from where their parents lived ... with a back door. If they don't like their white daughter-in-law they have no one to blame but themselves.

Hated high school.

[mommax3]

Since my 20th high school reunion is coming up this summer, I have been thinking about those days a little bit lately, so great timing on this thread, Flynn!

I enjoyed high school a lot, (although I enjoyed college more ) because there were so many different niches that addressed the different sides of me. I went to a large high school (there were 542 in my class.....once again betraying my dork side by remembering that number) so it was easy to have completely different groups of friends that didn't necessarily overlap. I was in choir, chamber orchestra, and full orchestra all through high school, and added marching/concert band and jazz ensemble my senior year, which was a blast! (I sneaked in late in the game by learning to play all of the pitched percussion instruments, and I got pretty good at the non-pitched ones, too.) I was also in the Honors English program, which I loved. Because of the ensembles I was in, though, and because I wanted to take music theory my senior year, I took "general" (aka non-college bound) government because it was the only thing that would fit in my schedule, and surprisingly, I enjoyed that quite a bit.....it was VERY practical and allowed me to re-connect with kids that I had gone to elementary school with, but hadn't really seen since jr. high because of the differing plans we had for our lives. I took French for two years and loved it......I wish I could have taken more language and I REALLY wish I would have taken Spanish instead. I very much enjoyed history and especially psychology, but I took the minimum science and math that was required for college bound students at that point. I didn't do too badly in either math or science (I always got As and Bs in everything) but I just wasn't interested......I am very much a humanities gal.

I got the "Jeffersonian Award" in music (my school was called Jefferson High School) at Commencement, which was quite an honor and was very special to me at the time. I was not in the top 10% of the class, partly because I didn't take other honors classes (besides English, there were honors math, science, and gov't classes) which were weighted differently, and partly because I really didn't care that much. I was never a gunner for the sake of the grade, but if I enjoyed something, I did very well. Teachers pretty much loved me and there were a couple that really influenced me and gave me guidance in areas where my mom either didn't know I needed it, or wouldn't/couldn't have provided it. My SATs were good enough to get me a half-scholarship to my college.

As a person......hmmmm. I have stated before that my family was really poor. That fact really did change who I was and affected what I showed to the world, and in retrospect, I think it made me less ambitious about what I wanted to do. I didn't know anyone else with my academic capabilities that struggled financially, so it was kind of a weird place to be as a teenager. To put it bluntly, the poor kids that I knew (that I waited in line with to get my free/reduced lunch tickets) were also the "dumb kids" as far as I knew, although in reality, there were probably smart kids that had just given up. In order to afford to participate in orchestra and band, (instrument and uniform rental) I worked in the music library filing music over the summer. There was NO ONE else in those programs, (except my sister) whose family situation required that they do that, even though the programs were large. I know that sounds kind of unbelievable, but it is fairly representative of the city I grew up in at that time......even today, it is a fairly affluent place with low unemployment. People weren't rich, but they were solidly upper-middle class, with steady paychecks. Additionally, the church my family attended was very adamant against dancing, so I didn't go to any dances either, even though secretly I would have LOVED to. My mom also rarely let me do many social things, unless they were with people from my church.......which was not as safe as she thought it was, but that is another story! I also had a severly handicapped younger sister, and my mom (a single parent) relied on me for child care at times. Additionally, the mere fact that my parents weren't married, and hadn't been since I was six, made me different in yet another way......that wouldn't be the case now so much, but when my parents got divorced, there weren't many other single parent families around in my neck of the woods. Because of those things, I felt different than everyone else (although I know now that most adolescents feel that same way) and I tended to drift towards people who were sort of "outside" the mainstream, so I wouldn't feel left out when everyone else did the normal high school things. That is probably also why I was in so many music ensembles.....they allowed me to spend time with my friends outside of school in a way that was approved by my mom. I was perceived as a "good girl" in the extreme, as well as being smart, but I didn't really care about that, except for the fact that it didn't take me too long to do my work, leaving me more time to write notes to my friends! Actually, the smart part embarrassed me sometimes and I tried not to let people know that I hadn't studied for a test, or that it didn't take me too long to do my homework, or whatever. It was just another way of being "different", and as far as I was concerned, I was "different" enough already! I was very sheltered as far as what I did, but not in what I knew, and secretly (at times) I was quite a rebel. I did skip out of school one time with a boy I liked and we made out in his car in the parking lot! Still, I had some very good friends, mostly from band and orchestra, and I think I was pretty well-liked, but I just didn't let people get too close, which I regret now.

I enjoyed my 10th high school reunion very much, because I had grown out of and away from many of the restraints that held me back from being as social as I would have liked to have been in high school. I got to know a lot of my classmates much better. I am hopeful that my 20th reunion will be much the same. I am only in contact with one person from my class, so I really have no idea what everyone has been up to and I am looking forward to finding out.

[SuzySunshine]

I should also add that I was 5th in my class so you all don't think I'm a total ditz (some of my activites could be construed that way)!

I didn't go to my 10 year reunion and after talking to a couple friends that did I'm glad I didn't. My class was very small and so many of my classmates still live in that mind set. I'll be very happy to go to my 20th and tell them all exactly where to go although most of them won't talk to me because I'll have a successful family and husband, most of them don't talk to me now because I went to college - just very childish.

[Phoebe]

I was probably a middle of the road kid in high school. I wasn't the best looking or the most social and I wasn't the smartest in my class, although I was in the top 10% out of 300 plus students. AP classes weren't offered in my school until my senior year, but I took all college prep courses and excelled in Math and Social Sciences.

People described me as a "book worm" and then were suprised to see me at parties. I was probably best known for sports, but I wasn't voted "most athletic". I socialized with geeks and the most popular students. My best friend today was the president of our high school class.
I think most students knew me, but I didn't stand out much. I had a lot of fun in high school, but I always wished I had more confidence in myself.

Jennifer

[SueC]

In High School, I didn't cause much of a stir. I had my handful of close friends, followed the rules, made good grades, ran cross country (not a lot of glory there, most people didn't know what in the heck it was), and did no other extra-curricular activities. I was waifishly thin before that was in style, so boys never game me a second look. High school was definitely not my favorite time in life. If I'm not already seeming like a dork, I also worked at Arby's. The only thing cool about me was my car--I drove a bright orange 77 MG Midget which was cool as hell, until the darn thing caught fire and burned to the ground.
I'd like to be all pious about being a good kid and never getting into trouble, but I'm pretty sure if the popular kids would have hung out with me and offered me a beer or a smoke, I'd have taken it. I wasn't terribly confident or sure of myself, so I can only credit being sober and virtuous with the fact that I was a nerd.
Now college on the other hand...another story altogether!!!

[Tenacious_D]

Fun topic I actually really loved HS, more than college (except for meeting DH in college). I was the super everything student in HS. I went to boarding school which made joining activities a lot easier. I played soccer, ultimate frisbee (one of two girls on the team of 35), and track and field. I was also involved in theater (improv troupe). I had a ton of freinds and really loved life at the time. I didn't have a boyfriend until my Junior year when I studied abroad in France. I had a crush on this guy named Mike and out to dinner one night I got drunk for the first time and we kissed (first HS kiss) after that night we dated until we got back to the states. I wish I could really pinpoint why I loved that time in my life so much. I didn't enjoy the social scene in college as much as HS. I guess I was annoyed that the only way people could have fun was by drinking themselves in blackouts.

I wasn't a bookworm or anything but I was voted Funniest in my class three years in a row...my future children will be so proud.

I miss HS

[Flynn]

I am the first born in our family of three kids and I really liked high school most of the time. Everyone has their "dramas" it seems and when you're a teenager you have to have "my life is over" moments. I had them too but inbetween I had a great time.

I graduated from a public school with just under 500 graduates. It didn't seem that big but looking back, it was a good sized high school.

I was an athlete through and through. I started on teams before I could drive and eventually made all state as a senior. I loved the competition and a vast majority of my teamates. I got to know lots of different types of people through sports so while I had my core group of friends...I was pretty close with many different types of kids. I liked the diversity but at times I felt a little like I had no "home base." I played basketball and soccer, but Volleyball was my best sport and I eventually played in college.

I was in the AP classes but describe myself as "the dumbest smart kid" in everything but English, Literature, and writing. I had to work fairly hard in my science and math classes -- but could still pull Bs without too much effort.

Some of the "wacky" awards I won:

• "cutest couple" with my high school sweetheart ::
  "best eyes" in the senior class(???? Why this award was voted on is beyond me. )

• ...and my most moment....I was prom queen. I think I was voted to this "dubious" honor because I was "the anti-prom queen" so it was cool at the time to vote someone like me in. Wearing a tiara (are you KIDDING me??? ) was a bit surreal but I lived to tell the tale.

.

On Halloween I was "a cheerleader" as a joke -- not because I hated cheerleaders (I had a few buddies on the squad) but because I was so NOT a cheerleader it was funny. It was affectionately ribbing #1 ME and #2 cheerleaders in general. I borrowed the "outfit" from a friend of mine.

I think people perceived me as living a "charmed life" because my parents were great, I wasn't poor but wasn't rich, I did fine in school, I was an athlete, and I had a lot of friends. I had my struggles like everyone else though.

Looking back, most of my buddies in high school were from grade school or jr. high. I had a lot of history with them and I missed this element when I was in college. I just didn't seem to "click" with more than a handful of people and so socially I was restless in college. In contrast, high school was a blast.

I lost a bet and went to my 10 year reunion with a group of girlfriends -- they had to drag me but I'm glad they did. I had a great time. Everyone was so nice and genuine. I hadn't realized how much I was missing some of these people I had lost touch with! I hope I can go to my 20th reunion and have a similar experience but if I can't go for some reason it won't be that big of a deal.

So, that's me. It's been fun reading your "stories!"

So who's next?

[PrincessFiona]

We moved around a lot. I went to three different highschools. At the first one, I got inducted into the Thespian society (That would be THesbian, not Lesbian....for anyone who misread it the first time :> ) I was really into drama and music and sang in the choir, took ballet etc. I also played on the soccer team (and was MVP...really, I was...of course....we only won a single game the entire year, so it isn't really saying much!). I also was a cheerleader that year.

I did more activities than academics and it showed (except for bio, which I loved).....The next year, for 10th grade we moved and I buried my nose in my books...taking all honors classes and continuing with choir/drama. I was really into Thoreau and my lit class and my favorite subject was geometry. I was also in the german club...which...was one of my favorite activities, actually.


My Junior Year, we moved again and I kept up with choir and tried the drama dept at my new school...for the most part I found that because I moved so much it was too difficult to get an "in" with any activities that I found interesting. The move from IL to TX also had me making straight A's despite the fact that I wasn't working any harder...actually, I was slacking off. The school system (even though it was good for TX) pretty much was lousy. We learned vocab by watching cartoons (in AP English) and one of my AP teachers talked more about her menstrual period than actual historical 'periods'.

I became known as the 'complainer' by our school counselor, because I was regularly in her office to complain about the poor quality of the educators and how I was wasting my time. I guess I got an early start at being such a complainer. I also boycotted pep rallys and hid out at the library instead. Also, I doubled up on math classes and generally speaking spent the year as a geek.

My senior year I was a member of a singing/dancing ensemble through choir that I had auditioned for. It was a huge deal and I was devastated when I broke my foot and tore all of the ligaments. I ended up in a CAM walker for a couple of months (later needed surgery) and was 'benched' for the year....I had to eventually leave the group. I got depressed and droppped out of Calculus and several of my other not-required classes...and...pretty much blew off college apps until the last minute despite having good grades.

I kept up with the choir though and my senior year we won an national singing competition in TN and got to sing alone (as a group) on the grand old opry stage. It was pretty neat.

I've never been to a high school reunion and really have no desire...I went to three high schools (this should be a word of warning to the military people!) and pretty much had no real attachment, I guess.

kris

[Vishenka69]

I didn't particularly like high school but didn't hate it either. Went to a huge NYC public school, my graduating class was almost 800 kids (but on the upside our graduation was in Madison Sq Garden). It was easy to get lost especially since there were no sports teams, so no star quarterbacks or cheerleaders. There were tons of cliques by ethnic background, club associations and such. My clique was the cooler Russian kids of the nerdy AP circle. We also skipped prom, partially because it was way too expensive and partially because we could go to a Russian restaurant which didn't card and party like adults.

College was a blast though. Going to a smaller school and living on campus was great, as was hanging out with the cool crowd. It's a good thing I met DH early on, otherwise I might have really let loose.

[Flynn]

Vishenka wrote:

It was easy to get lost especially since there were no sports teams

Are you serious? Were the programs cut or was it a school that focused on other areas ( IB program, the arts, alternative school etc.)?

Just curious. :chat:

[Rapunzel]

I went to a largish high school in a fairly urban suburb of an enormous city. Our UIL competitive region was huge and filled with the high schools that generally went to state and some on to nationals for competitions.

I came from one of the poorest families in the school judging by where I lived in the school boundaries. I came from THE poorest middle school and I'm pretty sure that a large chunk of the kids I went to middle school with ended up being drop-outs.

In high school I was on the debate team, the academic decathlon team, the orchestra (violin), and the dance squad (also called drill team). I was also in all-honors and advanced placement courses (senior year). If I was roaming the halls I was never stopped - ever.

I was (and still am ) hyper competitive. I was always first chair in orchestra. I won more medals than anyone in our entire region for academic decathlon (and the gold in writing, speaking, and over-all high scorer). I actually made a senior guy from another high school cry my junior year during one debate tournament (felt bad for him - I went easier on him at the last half of the debate but won, of course ). I was planning on trying out for team captain for the drill team junior year but quit when the team's reputation as the "whore corps" started rubbing off on me (Yuck! Didn't want that to stick! :nono: ).

I was never in drama through high school but when the UIL one act play was announced as Cyrano I HAD to have the part of Roxanne (the ONLY female part in the play). I marched down to the drama teacher's office and basically sold her on making me the only female lead (with absolutely no drama experience ). I got the lead and it was an exhilerating thing for me. The guy who got Cyrano wasn't so great, though. He got it because of "seniority" (the normal way you get a lead in a play in high school). He was soooo awful. The rest of the cast was awsome, though.

Socially I didn't involve myself with anyone at my high school. I treated high school almost like work or a career. I did my absolute best - scoring the highest PSAT and ACT scores for the school district and the second highest SAT for the district. And, I tended to win tons of awards (some I didn't even know about). I remember that during my senior year I was called into the principal's office to be told that I needed to go to the next school board meeting to be presented with some award the school board wanted to give me. I told him, "I know those people control your job, but I'm not going. I think it's awful that they cut funding to the orchestra program in order to buy more football equipment and I won't go get their silly award." He just about had a heart attack. Apparently it caused a moment of severe political unrest for the school because that entire day I had a series of teachers, an assistant principal that was good friends with my mom, and several of the kids in my classes whose parents were on the school board try to convince me that I should go. I guess you could say I was a rebel with a cause - and just enough clout to be heard.

But, I didn't hang out with any of these kids. I had my own circle of friends that attended a couple of other schools in a nearby school district (that I had never attended ). It was easier to seperate "work" from "play" that way. I dated a TON - and NONE of the guys I ever dated (I counted about three dozen in my junior and senior years altogether) went to my high school. I dated for fun - no "romance" or physical intimacy. I had a couple of boyfriends in there. But I ended up breaking the relationship off after a few months every time because I didn't want to be tied down like that emotionally or socially. (One interesting note - of the five major relationships I've had in my life I've always been the one to cut and run - with the only exception being the last one - my husband ).

I don't know how I was perceived. I didn't care back then and I don't care now. My high school experience was all about me. High school was my work and my play was a seperate issue. I amassed a wonderful portfolio by my senior year and my only regret is that I didn't have a (much) better guidance counselor for planning my future. Seriously, she stank.

Will I ever attend a high school reunion? Probably not. It would be like attending a reunion of people I had to work with. I keep in touch with the people who were my friends socially outside of "work" (ie the people who didn't go to my high school).