@Nate311 I went back to my brother’s soccer game where he was getting jobbed by the ref. (Not technically at the HS) I proceeded to loudly let the ref know. The AD had to stop the game to kick me out. Walking me out while I am saying “stand up for your fucking students you piece of shit, they are getting fouled up and down and this guy is laughing the whole time. You are pissed at ME?”
He thought we were alone. He said: “You are lucky you aren’t older or I would knock your block off.” “I am not a teenager anymore old man, take a swing, find out.”
He then realized there were parents watching this whole thing.
I went back twice to say hi to teachers that impacted my life, wrote college recommendation letters, see what was up, etc. That was also when my parents still lived in the city. This was all within a year or two of my HS graduation. I think that is kind of normal for nerdy teacher’s pet like myself.
Cannot imagine a reason for the life of me I would these days. And no, not for a reunion.
I’m not sure if I would have, but the next year after I graduated the tiny (4 grades/100 students total) high school was consolidated into a big behemoth.
@romellex
define behemoth… my school had over 2500 students my Sr yr, a 1/4 mile front hall and ended up having to do a morning and afternoon shift at one time due to overcrowding… needless to say I was lost in the shuffle… but running under the radar was fine since I ran an underground newspaper with a friend and graduated in the top 2% of the class.
@chienfou I was a Merit finalist, with the highest score in the school. (Actually, if memory serves, highest in the system, but that was 54 years ago.) I graduated at 16, and I was NOT ready for college.
@chienfou Yup - I would have considered your school a behemoth. Sounds like we have quite a bit in common. I graduated at 16 also. Also a Merit finalist. Wasn’t ready for college, but with the help of some very understanding professors did make it. And since my school wasn’t big enough to have an underground, I was the editor of the official newspaper. Typed a lot of it myself on ditto copying sheets.
@Kyeh@romellex
yeah, an underground newspaper, back when that was a thing (1972). We wrote about issues impacting the school and students that didn’t make the official school paper… things like drugs, sex and teen pregnancy, mental health etc. Beneath The Wheel came out a couple times a month, got typed on mimeograph sheets and run off at a local junior college. Cost was a quarter if I remember correctly. We sold ads to the local head shop, rock stations, Pier One imports etc. Managed to put them out for about 4 months without getting busted by the admin then both of us instigators graduated in January and split so that was the end of it. One of my AP English teachers would proofread it for us on the sly.
Those were good times.
I went back as soon as my actual diploma arrived, because they misspelled my name on it. “That’s a shame, but don’t worry, it’s correct in our records.”
I really ought to dig that damn thing out now and burn it, since my name changed last year.
I went back to see some teachers a few times not long after graduation. I also went back a year or so after graduation to borrow a low-power microscope to count fruit flies for a college course over a vacation; and again to bring it back a week later.
I think the last time was during college. My mom worked at the school and they had some sort of summer or holiday work thing when school wasnt in session. We had a NROTC field exercise coming up with a 12 mile march. The school was 12 miles away. I was home and had my gear and I thought hmmm… I could do a practice run and hitch a ride home. Said hi to a few teachers
I live close enough to the school that I could connect to the wifi on a good day if I had the password. Rural midwest life means a lot of the events are AT the high school because that is the only place that is not a church that is big enough to hold people. Most of the community votes at the high school. My stepchild goes there and my child, though they are in middle school, has events there regularly.
Most of high school was miserable. We moved from Miami Fl to middle Georgia when I was in 9th grade. The school was about half locals and half military kids, I was neither. I hated it. I eventually made friends and then lost touch when I moved away at 18. My husband joined the military and we were a comfortable driving distance from the town when my 20 year reunion popped up. I thought it would be a chance to reconnect with those old friends. Most of them still lived there and did not go to the reunion. The 2nd day of the reunion was a tour of the school. Nothing had changed. I tried to enjoy the weekend, even had a few isolated moments that made the trip worth it, but overall the trip made me realize that if I NEVER step foot back in that town (or that high school) my life will be just fine!
@Wolf560
When my wife had her 20th reunion we were down in the area we live in now and her alma mater is a 70 minute drive away from here in the town her Dad lived in. We showed up for the festivities and I promptly took my name-tag, (which had her picture on it and my name as her spouse) and covered her pic with a xerox of my college ID with the headband and long hair etc. I knew enough of the stories from her HS years that I passed myself off as a class member that moved away during “our” SR year. It was amazing how many folks ‘remembered’ me!
Only a handful of her close friends knew who I was and they all went along with the scam. Having a bar available probably helped.
I had a blast!
@OnionSoup Sounds similar to (but opposite of?) paving paradise to put up a parking lot.
(although looking it up now, apparently that song is titled “Big Yellow Taxi”)
Once, 20 years later. A friend was running a half-marathon that started and ended at the school, so I went into the lobby for a peek. No substantial changes. They tore it down and built a new one on the same property about 5 years ago.
My niblings went to my old middle school 40 years after I did, so I went to their plays and concerts. When I went there, it had one of those disastrous open-plan layouts, which they changed to regular classrooms less than 10 years ago. I was dying to walk around and see the new layout, but that wasn’t allowed.
I was amazed that they were still using literally the same chairs from when I was there. They had a very distinctive design and were still either black, tan, burnt orange, or avocado, so I know they were the same ones. They still had the same lunch tables, too. The county got their money’s worth on that purchase.
Graduated a semester early and moved to France. They mailed me my diploma that summer. Moved back at the end of the summer, bought a car and hit the road for CU and Boulder, CO. (When my parents moved from MO I was no longer classed as a resident since I was only 18… which cost me a bunch of scholarship money.)) Never went back, and now that I think of it this is my 50th yr graduation anniversary so I am pretty sure there was some sort of reunion. Oh well F*** 'em!
For my 20 year reunion they set up a tour for us. It is a rural community and the school was small when I graduated. Holy shit, it is now 3 or 4 times bigger and just completely different. Much nicer. I think I went to school in the stone age.
@tinamarie1974
They just recently finished a re-build of the local HS over the past 2 years. Really did a super job, keeping a similar facade appearance but updating all the internal infrastructure.
BTW, since we homeschooled both our kids until they hit college at 16ish neither of them will have an answer to this question if it is ever posed to them (unless you count the times they have been back to the house to visit I guess…)
I went back to attend various events for my younger brothers. Wouldn’t anyone?
@Nate311 I went back to my brother’s soccer game where he was getting jobbed by the ref. (Not technically at the HS) I proceeded to loudly let the ref know. The AD had to stop the game to kick me out. Walking me out while I am saying “stand up for your fucking students you piece of shit, they are getting fouled up and down and this guy is laughing the whole time. You are pissed at ME?”
He thought we were alone. He said: “You are lucky you aren’t older or I would knock your block off.” “I am not a teenager anymore old man, take a swing, find out.”
He then realized there were parents watching this whole thing.
He retired that year. (Warm feelings.)
@Nate311 My brother went to a different school, so no.
I donated my drumset three years ago. I think technically I only stepped into the hall to get out of the rain, but that counts!
My high school was demolished just a few years after I graduated. So, no, although I have walked across the empty lot a few times
I went back twice to say hi to teachers that impacted my life, wrote college recommendation letters, see what was up, etc. That was also when my parents still lived in the city. This was all within a year or two of my HS graduation. I think that is kind of normal for nerdy teacher’s pet like myself.
Cannot imagine a reason for the life of me I would these days. And no, not for a reunion.
I’m not sure if I would have, but the next year after I graduated the tiny (4 grades/100 students total) high school was consolidated into a big behemoth.
@romellex
define behemoth… my school had over 2500 students my Sr yr, a 1/4 mile front hall and ended up having to do a morning and afternoon shift at one time due to overcrowding… needless to say I was lost in the shuffle… but running under the radar was fine since I ran an underground newspaper with a friend and graduated in the top 2% of the class.
@chienfou I was a Merit finalist, with the highest score in the school. (Actually, if memory serves, highest in the system, but that was 54 years ago.) I graduated at 16, and I was NOT ready for college.
@chienfou @romellex
Cool!!!
@chienfou Yup - I would have considered your school a behemoth. Sounds like we have quite a bit in common. I graduated at 16 also. Also a Merit finalist. Wasn’t ready for college, but with the help of some very understanding professors did make it. And since my school wasn’t big enough to have an underground, I was the editor of the official newspaper. Typed a lot of it myself on ditto copying sheets.
@Kyeh @romellex
yeah, an underground newspaper, back when that was a thing (1972). We wrote about issues impacting the school and students that didn’t make the official school paper… things like drugs, sex and teen pregnancy, mental health etc.
Beneath The Wheel came out a couple times a month, got typed on mimeograph sheets and run off at a local junior college. Cost was a quarter if I remember correctly. We sold ads to the local head shop, rock stations, Pier One imports etc. Managed to put them out for about 4 months without getting busted by the admin then both of us instigators graduated in January and split so that was the end of it. One of my AP English teachers would proofread it for us on the sly.
Those were good times.
Just for my younger siblings’ events
I went back as soon as my actual diploma arrived, because they misspelled my name on it. “That’s a shame, but don’t worry, it’s correct in our records.”
I really ought to dig that damn thing out now and burn it, since my name changed last year.
I went back to see some teachers a few times not long after graduation. I also went back a year or so after graduation to borrow a low-power microscope to count fruit flies for a college course over a vacation; and again to bring it back a week later.
I think the last time was during college. My mom worked at the school and they had some sort of summer or holiday work thing when school wasnt in session. We had a NROTC field exercise coming up with a 12 mile march. The school was 12 miles away. I was home and had my gear and I thought hmmm… I could do a practice run and hitch a ride home. Said hi to a few teachers
I live close enough to the school that I could connect to the wifi on a good day if I had the password. Rural midwest life means a lot of the events are AT the high school because that is the only place that is not a church that is big enough to hold people. Most of the community votes at the high school. My stepchild goes there and my child, though they are in middle school, has events there regularly.
Rural school and I lived outside of the next town over. I never had a need to go that way after graduation.
Most of high school was miserable. We moved from Miami Fl to middle Georgia when I was in 9th grade. The school was about half locals and half military kids, I was neither. I hated it. I eventually made friends and then lost touch when I moved away at 18. My husband joined the military and we were a comfortable driving distance from the town when my 20 year reunion popped up. I thought it would be a chance to reconnect with those old friends. Most of them still lived there and did not go to the reunion. The 2nd day of the reunion was a tour of the school. Nothing had changed. I tried to enjoy the weekend, even had a few isolated moments that made the trip worth it, but overall the trip made me realize that if I NEVER step foot back in that town (or that high school) my life will be just fine!
@Wolf560
Warner Robbins?
@Wolf560
When my wife had her 20th reunion we were down in the area we live in now and her alma mater is a 70 minute drive away from here in the town her Dad lived in. We showed up for the festivities and I promptly took my name-tag, (which had her picture on it and my name as her spouse) and covered her pic with a xerox of my college ID with the headband and long hair etc. I knew enough of the stories from her HS years that I passed myself off as a class member that moved away during “our” SR year. It was amazing how many folks ‘remembered’ me!
Only a handful of her close friends knew who I was and they all went along with the scam. Having a bar available probably helped.
I had a blast!
They tore down my high school and put in a Walmart.
I took English in the frozen peas section.
@OnionSoup Sounds similar to (but opposite of?) paving paradise to put up a parking lot.
(although looking it up now, apparently that song is titled “Big Yellow Taxi”)
I’m not allowed within 500yds
@davidaddor
damn those pesky underage liasons…
Once, 20 years later. A friend was running a half-marathon that started and ended at the school, so I went into the lobby for a peek. No substantial changes. They tore it down and built a new one on the same property about 5 years ago.
My niblings went to my old middle school 40 years after I did, so I went to their plays and concerts. When I went there, it had one of those disastrous open-plan layouts, which they changed to regular classrooms less than 10 years ago. I was dying to walk around and see the new layout, but that wasn’t allowed.
I was amazed that they were still using literally the same chairs from when I was there. They had a very distinctive design and were still either black, tan, burnt orange, or avocado, so I know they were the same ones. They still had the same lunch tables, too. The county got their money’s worth on that purchase.
@lisagd Euw, that color scheme!
Although I guess by now it’s probably fashionably retro …
@Kyeh I know, right?
Reunions mostly.
Graduated a semester early and moved to France. They mailed me my diploma that summer. Moved back at the end of the summer, bought a car and hit the road for CU and Boulder, CO. (When my parents moved from MO I was no longer classed as a resident since I was only 18… which cost me a bunch of scholarship money.)) Never went back, and now that I think of it this is my 50th yr graduation anniversary so I am pretty sure there was some sort of reunion. Oh well F*** 'em!
@chienfou where did you go, if I can ask? I think you mentioned north county somewhere before.
@tinamarie1974
Hazelwood High… before it became Central, West and East.
@chienfou that explains the comments about the size!! My dad was Berkeley/N County Tech.
For my 20 year reunion they set up a tour for us. It is a rural community and the school was small when I graduated. Holy shit, it is now 3 or 4 times bigger and just completely different. Much nicer. I think I went to school in the stone age.
@tinamarie1974
They just recently finished a re-build of the local HS over the past 2 years. Really did a super job, keeping a similar facade appearance but updating all the internal infrastructure.
BTW, since we homeschooled both our kids until they hit college at 16ish neither of them will have an answer to this question if it is ever posed to them (unless you count the times they have been back to the house to visit I guess…)