Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Twenty Years

Next month is my 20th high school reunion. That went by pretty fast, but at the same time, I look at teenagers nowadays and there is clearly a generation gap there. I am not young anymore! Hence my midlife crisis. 

In honor of my 20th reunion (that I'm not going to), here's a little high school questionnaire:

What year did you graduate?

2002

Graduation

What were your school colors?

Navy blue, silver, and white

Did your school have a mascot?

Our mascot was a wolverine, but we didn't have a person running around in a wolverine costume at sporting events. Perhaps we are worse off for it! There is a taxidermied wolverine in a glass case inside the school, though. 

What was your favorite subject?

Psychology

Were you involved in student government?

Nope

Did you do any extracurricular activities?

I was on the dance team, and every year I signed up for French Club but never actually went to a French Club activity.

What were the cheerleaders like?

They were all really good people - nothing like they are in TV and movies. The cheer captain was one of my best friends. 

Did you have a favorite teacher?

I had a handful of teachers I really loved. My French teacher, my AP English teacher, and my AP Psych teacher are tops. I also had a really good math teacher that I think most students didn't appreciate as much as they should have (she still teaches there), and my biotechnology teacher was fun but only because he was a total weirdo. I didn't actually learn anything in his class. 

Michelle and me in our biotech lab coats

Where did you eat lunch?

Usually in the commons area or the courtyard. Sometimes I went home for lunch or walked over to the grocery store to buy potato wedges from the deli or a loaf of French bread. 

How did you get to school?

Eventually I drove myself, but before I was driving, I have no memory of how I got to school! 

Did you have your own car?

Yes - I got a car right before I started my junior year. It was a 1987 VW Jetta, and it had a lot of problems, but it was a beast in the snow! That thing kept me safe... other than breaking down and leaving me stranded a few times. 

My first car - "The Wildebeest"

Did your school have a dress code? If so, what were the most common dress code violations?

There was a pretty standard dress code - no short shorts, no spaghetti straps, no bare midriffs. Just the usual. I don't remember anyone ever getting in trouble for their clothes, though. In junior high, yes, but in high school, not so much. 

Did you ever get in trouble?

Not really. The only thing I can think of was that my dance teacher got after me for being disrespectful to a choreographer once, and I got a parking ticket once for parking outside of a parking spot. 

What was your love life like? Did you have a high school sweetheart?

My love life was complicated because I had a boyfriend on a mission (junior and senior year) but still wanted to date and still wanted boys to like me. Scotty was my boyfriend from 9th grade on, but we didn't actually go to school together. So does that count as a high school sweetheart? I'm not sure what the rules are!

What newsworthy events took place while you were in high school?

Columbine, 9/11, and the Olympics in Salt Lake City

Elizabeth Smart was abducted a few days after I graduated.

What were some of the fashion trends?

Low-cut flared jeans, flip-flops, head scarves, visors, Old Navy performance fleece, puka shell necklaces, highlighted hair

Did you have a locker?

Yes - two, in fact! A regular locker and a gym locker for dance. 

Jessica, Michelle, and me in our spacious gym lockers

Did you have a job?

I worked at a snow cone shack, a boutique in the mall, and a donut shop. For the last half of my senior year, I didn't work (I was laid off from the donut shop). 

Is anyone from your school famous?

Not really. I think a few went to the NFL and such, but I can't name a single one of them.

What TV shows were popular?

Friends, X-Files, ER, Scrubs

Then right after I graduated was when reality TV boomed with American Idol, The Bachelor, etc.

Did you go on a senior trip?

Yes. My friends Michelle, Lynsie, Jessica, and I went to Las Vegas... with my parents. 

Jessica, Me, Michelle, and Lynsie
(Please note our cross-body bags and Michelle's awesome belt)

Have you been to any reunions?

Nope

How many people were in your graduating class?

Between 500-600

Do you still see your high school friends?

Many of them, yes. In fact, I have had five (yes, FIVE) sisters-in-law and one baby mama in my family that I went to high school with (only one remains currently). So you have to be nice to everyone because you never know who you'll end up related to at some point!

A lot of us still live in the same community, and now our kids are going to school or taking dance classes together. 

Do you have high school nightmares?

Yes! I can't remember my locker combination, I haven't been to math class for the entire term, and I don't know the dance choreography! 

Did you end up where you thought you would be now?

For the most part, yes, but in all honesty, as the teenage brain is prone to do, I didn't really think twenty years in the future. 

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