School's Out For Summer

School's Out Forever

 

 

This year and month marks the 20th Anniversary of my graduation from High School.

 

First off, there's no way that 20 years have gone by. Hell! I still can't even do fractions! While the changing of calendars doesn't lie, thank goodness my wrinkle-less face does. Pleased to meet you, I'm 28.

 

I was no huge fan of High School. If I was forced to rank my primary education from best to worst it would go: Elementary School, Pre-School, High School, Junior High. Junior High was the absolute pits. It didn't help that my most prominent physical features were an excessively large nose, a pimply face and hair that made Phil Spector's mane look enviable. I grew up very average in an extremly wealthy town. That doesn't help either. When everyone else was shopping at Benetton and wearing Keds, I was shopping at Bradley's and wearing Jamesway tennis shoes. I'm not sure anybody, at least girls, feel super comfortable when they're 12-14 years old. You're awkward. You haven't grown into yourself yet. Everything is just ICK. When you add what is considered to be "sup-par" clothing to the ICK factor; when you feel everybody else seems to look like they belong in a commercial, you're bound to feel a bit uncomfortable. It says something that I still have dreams to this day that I have to restart school all over again - as all humans are required to take K through 8th grade twice - at least in my nightmare world.

 

 

I don't want to give the wrong impression. I loved growing up where I grew up. I was very lucky to have a wonderful education - with my Elementary and Junior High Principal living right up the road from me. I was great friends with his daughter for many years. He remains a man that is loved by many, as everyone I know that grew up with him as Principal has such wonderful memories of that time. I loved growing up in the 80's and playing with friends in backyards and not worrying about anything. I loved my childhood. My parents moved to my hometown prior to it becoming a wealthy enclave of northern New Jersey. Prior to my older brother and me even being born. My Dad has always said we didn't "belong" there. He was right. What the town became, grew up around us, as much as we grew up within it.

 

High School was a whole other experience.

There were (and are currently) two High Schools for three towns in the area. Back when I was in school, you were assigned which HS you would be attending based on geography. I went to the High School that was in another town, but closer mile-wise. It didn't really make a difference to me. I had a small group of friends, and the majority of them were going to attend this HS with me. The bigger deal was combining two towns. Well, a whole other town and half of mine.

I can't even say much about High School. I was a nonentity. I participated little, except for an ill-fated attempt at "Winter Guard".* I submitted a few things to the literay magazine. I worked on a few issues for Amnesty International, and helped paint a few murals. I wasn't a stellar student, I wasn't a bad student. I excelled when I chose to. I was bored. I was average. Which suited me just fine, since Junior High was such a crappy experience, I was happy to be a wallflower that wasn't noticed. I wasn't seen... for anything good or bad. I had my trusted group of friends that I adored. We raised our own kind of hooliganism when we got together, that no one in school would of thought we were capable of, if anyone had thought to think of it.

*Wikipedia defines Winter Guard as: an indoor color guard activity, derived from Military Ceremonies or Veterans Organizations Ceremonies. Unlike traditional color guard, winter guard is performed indoors, usually in a gymnasium or an indoor arena. Performances make use of recorded music rather than a live band or orchestra. Winter guard ensembles commonly perform at judged competitions officiated by local and regional associations using criteria developed by Winter Guard International.

* Translates to: Teenage girls dressed as Druids in long robes of black with golden ropes and hoods, worshipping Stonehenge. All with flags and wooden guns. One which landed on my neck during competition. It wasn't cute. It wasn't cute at all.

 

I had two major crushes that were left unrequited - and unannounced. Although, I did come close to telling one boy the night of our Graduation Gala, but I chickened out. One crush jokingly nudged me out of a class one day, placing his hand on my back. Not only did I almost drop dead right there, I also didn't wash the shirt. Which sucked big time for my best friend, as the shirt was hers.

 

Over the last couple of months, notices and invitiations for the forthcoming 20th High School Reunion have been coming via Facebook. I highly doubt that I will be attending, as some of the interactions I've already had put me right back in High School - no, I retract that statement. I won't own that one. Some of the interactions I have had show that some people have never left High School. There are some people who never get over their Glory Days. There's a whole song about it,or so I hear.

 

There's regrets. I wish I had branched out more during those years. There's people I really wish I had gotten to know better. I wish I had remained closer with some people after graduation. Regrets are valid, but you have to move on and not make the same mistakes. Love the people in your life, and cherish those relationships. I think it took leaving High School to actually start learning that lesson. I'm so happy that Facebook has brought some very important people back into my life.

Certain people say that the High School years are the best years of your life. I can't say I feel the same way. However, I can understand the thought behind it. It's very structured, you know what you have to do in order to succeed, you see your friends all day, and you get summers off! On paper, that looks like an awesome deal.

 

 

Even with that though, I can say that I'm happy that (High) school's out forever.

　
With Love
Lady Butterfly
xoxo