High School Memories

[Jeff Matthews]

I guess if you didn't break the law in HS, you might not have had as much fun. I had ALOT of fun. I'm glad I grew up, but there's some great nostalgia there.

Think of all the fun we had without money. Once you have to start paying for cars, gas, rent, utilities, insurance, etc., the possibilities for future nostalgia when looking back on my late 30's seems to go out the window. I'll let you know when I'm 50+. Maybe I'm wrong, but living without money and still having plenty of fun things to do was a special time.

It can't be done with the same sense of self-respect as an adult - otherwise, we'd be known as "bums" instead of "kids." Being a kid is fun. Being a bum is not.

Yeah, it was fun. I'm having fun, now, for sure. But factoring in the need to earn one's way through life puts a whole new slant on things.

[Tom Adams]

My HS "career" started out shaky, but ended on a good note. The town I mostly grew up in was very small - like in 5000 people small. Consequently you couldn't fart without your parents knowing. After Catholic elementary school I went to HS so-to-speak since the junior high and the HS were combined. 7th grade was ok. Was in the HS band, but no sports. Like some here I was that brainiac, geeky, glasses-wearing, skinny kid that mom dressed. [] Not playing sports in a small school instantly put you outside the "circle" and on the "picked on" list.

Then came the 8th grade and a year of hell and turmoil. That was the year that the all black HS and the all white HS were combined. Yep - the year of integration. Oddly, the blacks were more pissed about it than the whites since they felt their school's traditions were being buried. Not much in the way of racial fights, in fact I'd say none. In a town of 5000, most of us (blacks & whites) played together after school anyhow. Strange times indeed. 18 guys went out for football that year. 14 stayed on the team and the HS finished conference co-champions. Always felt that was a testement to true teamsmanship for those guys. Takes a lot of guts to go both ways for 4 quarters. Academically is was the pits. The blacks really weren't given the same level of education as we were. The result was that the teachers had to teach to the lowest common denominator which put faster learners in pure boredom.

9th grade came & went in a blink. By now I was more interested in racing my dirt bike which I credit with keeping me outta trouble since I didn't have time for much else. Go to school, come home, deliver papers, eat, get bike ready for Sunday, homework, and bed. Boy Scouts probably helped as well. Still...I was on the outside socially and picked on more. Had my frist date in 9th grade - she was a twin. In 10th grade it was more of the same but I knew that the Air Force Academy was an impossibility with the level of education I was getting. Made almost all A's without studying hardly any. The redneck that dated the twins' sister decided to give me an as*-whooping for what I still don't know to this very day. But I'm glad it happened because it turned me around. The summer after 10th grade was when Tom deccided to longer be afraid. Funny.....no fear on the track and total paranoia around people.

For the 11th grade, my parents helped me financially (I kicked in what I could from the paper route each month) so I could attend St. Stanislaus College - an all boys Catholic HS in Bay St. Louis. It was established in 1854 and had a long standing reputation for academic & atheletic excellence and I wanted to go there. Those were the hardest and best two years of my HS life. Was treated with respect mostly 'cause I gave off that " don't eff with me" attitude. Wish I had gone there longer than 2 years. The Brothers there were truly interested in each kid and still are. Went back for my 30 year reunion and the Brothers that taught me that were still there, still knew me by name. I excelled academically and musically because I was pushed and challenged. LOL.....My long time friend Mike (1st trumpet) and I (1st Trombone) had a blast discovering how much fun beer and half time show rehersals could be. And having a '68 Camaro RS and a don't care what you think attitude seemed to attract girls. Dated some but motorcycle racing came first.

So....for the most part, alls well that ends well. [] Would I do it all over? Maybe.

Tom

[customsteve01]

Bringing up memories from High School. I also grew up in a small town of around 10,000 people. My parents moved there when I was 1 and I lived there till I finished HS. Some of us had gone to school together since preschool, so you could say we were pretty good friends and knew every thing about them and thier families. I did really good in school up till I started HS. In HS I just couldn't get around in English class, it was a very big struggle for me cause I really never enjoyed reading and hated even more to write. But on the other hand I excelled in math and science. But the problems in english made it where I didn't want to go to school. So my junior year I started going to school half a day and working the other half. I had it great, I worked at a printing company from 1 to 5 Monday thru Friday. I had money and was off on the weekends[H]. Like most kids thats when we had our first just about everything. Drinking; Andrews was a dry county and the closest beer store was 22 miles away, I can remember there and back in 30 min.[][]. Girls; OH My OH My, I guess this is where I found out about girls and how great they were. Drugs; we did try a few different things but I was one that just didn't get it so I never had a problem there.

I would say my HS memories are mostly good, I had trouble in school but had a blast with my friends. I have made it to all the reunions that we have had (well all 2 of them) and had a blast. At my 20 year I was voted most changed by the girls, but in a good way[][][].

If I could do it again would I? If I could take back the knowledge I have now, with me??? Oh hell yea..............[][][][]

Steve

[kenratboy]

HS sucked badly for me. I went to the rich kid school, and it sucked.

The best memory was the car ride home from graduation - and the

realization that I would never, ever have to go back. Now I am in

college, making decent money working part time, and really starting to

enjoy myself. I don't think I was ever meant to be a 'kid'.

(BTW, sorry if that bummed you out!)

[Mighty Favog]

I wasn't born into a high enough tax bracket to to accepted into the in-crowd at my HS. I do visit there once in a while since a close friend now works there.

My HS has gone down hill severly!! Ever since our city council decided to impliment forced desegregation (i.e. busing kids all over town to different schools) the building is now a shambels and nearly unrepairable. Shame too....many famous people went there, 2 of the Beach Boys ("Fun, Fun, Fun" was written about this school. The "hamburger stand" is across the street and called Frischs', hung out there myself a few times) Pete Rose, Hacksaw Reynolds, Roger Staubach, Don Zimmer and a few Federal Court Judges. Theres an 80 foot wall of pictures of other famous people that went there that I can't recall right now. Not bad for a public HS. Also was one of the biggest in the country (3,000+ students). More professional atheletes came from this high school than any other (18 and counting).

It's here.

[codhead]

Sounds like some of you needed... Charles!

[oscarsear]

Tom Blasing......... How was it that any of the Beach Boys went to HS in OHIO? When I was in HS their family lived up Mandeville Canyon in WLA off of Sunset Blvd by Paul Revere Jr. High. One of my ex girl friends lived by them and my wifes dad was their postman (ain't that a coincidence?). Just curious?

[Cal Blacksmith]

High School, Good times, bad times, lonely times. We were

upper middle class, in a good part of town in southern California during the

early 70s. Viet Nam was winding down and by my senior year, the draft was not

an issue. As a sophomore, I played football but never had much heart for it. I

foundered a bit until I found R.O.T.C. This was the first time I found a group

that I fit into, mostly good kids, the vast majority of whom didnt fit into

any other groups. We bonded through our love of Country and took pride in our

activities in the R.O.T.C.

I was on the rifle drill team for my last two years of high

school; we practiced at 6:00 am and after school 5 times a week. The year

before I joined was the last year our team went to nationals and they came in

second in the nation, truly a thing to be proud of, as the competition was so

tough. I was in many parades and competitions and our spree de corps was

high.

I discovered girls in Jr high but was too shy to talk to

them so it wasnt until 11^th grade that I went out on a date

though there were only a few dates for me through the years of high school, as

early on, some guy got tweaked with me about his girl (though I never knew

they were together, she sure didnt act that way!) anyway, he told some lies

about me raping several girls and to watch out for me and that pretty much

killed the dating scene for me. It wasnt until near the end of my senior year

that I found out about what he said and though there wasnt a shred of truth to

it, it was too late to do anything about it.

My graduating class was 1288 students that year and was the

high point for the school attendance We had our share of parties and though it

was the early 70s I never tried any drugs other than alcohol. Those R.O.T.C.

guys sure knew how to party!

Would I do it again? If I could go through it knowing what I

now know, sure, but going through it blind again I dont know. As for

reunions, we went to one of the wifes several years ago and have skipped all

of mine, though I only live 50 miles from the town I grew up in and we are 1500

miles away from where the wife grew up!

I have one good buddy that I met in 10^th grade

and he and I were best men at each others weddings, have owned property

together and are the very best of friends to this day. The other guys I hung

out with have slipped into the mist of time and for the most part, I dont have

any desire to see them again. I held onto the best and forgot the rest.

As for the years I spent in the Army, I would say they were

some of the greatest. Out away from home, a bed and 3 meals a day guaranteed,

the first taste of freedom, the parties, the BS and the great times. I would do

those again for sure!

[JohnA]

High School was not the high point of my school career, that was Engineering School at TennTech, but it was a blast.

I've never been much of a "joiner" so I didn't care if I was in a clique or not. It was a small town, small county high school; the only one we had. I'd grown up with at least 1/3 of the other students. I got a couple of whippings and gave about as many, too. My mother was a teacher there, so I didn't get away with too much mischief. I was on the periphery of most things. I worked in the media center where we repaired the A/V euipment, showed movies for a small fee and printed teacher's materials. I occasionally helped in the darkroom for the annual, but wasn't on the staff. I was all into motorcycles and spent most of the money I made bush hogging on audio gear, so I had plenty to keep me occupied. My high school and teenage years were not stressful of anxiety-filled.

Cathy, my bride, was just the opposite, though. Like many of you, she wouldn't do it over for anything. OTOH, if I knew what I new now, .....

[126mhz]

I went to McCurdy Mission, ("Mission" as it was called then) A Methodist boarding school which also had day students in Northern New Mexico. I was a boarding student and I can say without a doubt that the Methodist Church saved my life.

It was and still is a small school where it's cool to play sports and the McCurdy Bobcats have always been pretty good. We were the New Mexico State Champions in Football my Sophomore year and I was a four year letterman in Football and Track.

The lessions in life and morality the missionarys taught us have stayed with myself and all of my friends for the past twenty seven years since I left Santa Cruz, New Mexico.

I know friends of mine who went to large schools in big citys and many of them have very bad memories of High School, memories that have stayed with them.

But, High School's mouse race is over and we have all moved on to the real rat race of life. A good and bad side to everything I suppose.

Regards,

Bill Woodward

Portland, OR.

[oscarsear]

Another curious coincidence about HS. One morning while at breakfast with my newly wedded 2nd wife we were discussing my stereo endeavors at some length. In the context of that conversation I mentioned that I'd had some conversations with Kevin Deal from Upscale Audio in So. Cal. Turns out that Kevin Deal was in her senior class in HS. Yessiree got to see pictures of the man when he had hair. []